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TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `6.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMJOURNALISM OF COURAGE

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DECISION2022

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ACCEPTSPARTIES’DEMAND

ANISHADUTTANEWDELHI, JANUARY17

IN A rare move, the ElectionCommissionannouncedMondaythat ithadpostponedthedateofthe PunjabAssembly polls fromFebruary14toFebruary20.

This wasdone afterChief MinisterCharanjitSingh Channiand other po-litical partiesrequested theCommissionto change the

voting date given that a largenumberofpeoplewouldbetrav-elling to Varanasi for the GuruRavidas JayantionFebruary16.

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SCHEDULEDCASTESac-countfor32%ofPunjab’spopulation,asignificantchunkof theelectorate.Sowhentherewererepre-sentationstodeferthepollingtoallowpeopletotraveltoVaranasiandbackfortheGuruRavidasJayanticelebrations,allpartiesbackedthecall,andtheCMtookthelead.

EyeonSCvotesE●EX

PLAINED

In raremove, ECpushes Punjabpolls to Feb20

DECISION2022

DonetoallowpeopletojoinGuruRavidasJayanticelebrationsinVaranasi

SUANSHUKHURANANEWDELHI, JANUARY17

BACK IN 2010, at a concert inDelhi’sKamaniauditorium,GirijaDevi sang the lilting hori, Rangdaarungi nand ke laalan pe, rangdaarungi, a Braj Bhaasha pieceabout Radha’s explicit desire tocolour Krishna. Next to her satPandit BirjuMaharaj, who em-bodied the Radha in the hori—adakaariinplace,heartintow.AsMaharajinterpretedthisonelineinnumerousways,hearticulated

the desire of awoman, in all itssensuality.At theendof it,GirijaDevi draped her shawl over

Maharaj’s head. Maharaj ac-knowledged, turning the shawlinto his veil. Tumultuous ap-

plause followed. “I can't thinkofanywoman dancerwho can bea better Radha,” Deviwould of-tensay.A rare combination of virtu-

osity and expression, grace andcontrol, Pandit Birju Maharaj,whobecamesynonymouswithKathak, passed away inDelhi atthe age of 83. He suffered fromkidney ailments and had beenondialysis forsomemonths.HecontractedCovidafewdaysagoand had a heart attack onMondaymorning.Maharaj's oeuvre was not

just about dazzling perform-ances, choreographies, and thatdelicateglanceof theeye. Itwas

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PAGE1ANCHOR

Kathak doyen who embodied virtuosityand expression, grace and control

PANDIT BIRJU MAHARAJ 1938-2022

BUSINESS AS USUAL

BYUNNY

BASHAARATMASOODSRINAGAR, JANUARY17

DAYSAFTERtheJ&Kadministra-tionputonhold the re-registra-tionof theKashmirPressClub, itmoved to take control of thepremises,citinga"potential lawand order situation" and sayingtheclub"ceasestoexistasareg-isteredbody".Reactingtothegovernment's

move, the elected body of theKashmirPressClubsaidtheaimof the governmentwas to shutdown the club and "stifle the

voiceof journalists inKashmir".Theclub,whichhasover300

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J&K govt disbands, takescontrol of Kashmir PressClub: ‘bid to stifle voice’

KANCHANVASDEV&MANOJCGCHANDIGARH,NEWDELHI,JANUARY17

AMID A bitter power strugglebetween Punjab Chief MinisterCharanjitSinghChanniandstateCongresspresidentNavjotSinghSidhu, theCongressonMondayput out a video on its officialTwitterhandlevirtuallyproject-ing Channi as its chief ministerface.Themove also comes a day

before the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP), which is seen as theCongress's main challenger inthe state, is set to announce itschief ministerial candidate.Sources intheCongresssaidthevideowas not put out "just likethat"andargued itwaspartof a“calibrated” strategy.The Congress, party sources

said, believes Channi is its “bestbet” inPunjab.“Nothing happens on its

own,” a senior leader told TheIndianExpress.Sources said the party was

fornowprojectingChanniastheleader.“Thatisthereasontheof-ficial handle of the Congresstweeted the video. Channi ispopular in the surveys. He has

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Cong Twitterhandle postsvideo projectingChanni as CMface in Punjab

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JANUARY17

TWO INDIANS were amongthree people killed in a sus-pected drone attack carried outby the Iran-backedHouthimili-tant group on three petroleumtankersinAbuDhabi,thecapitalof theUnited Arab Emirates, onMonday afternoon. A Pakistaninationalwasalsoamongtheca-sualties. Six persons sustainedmildandmoderate injuries,po-lice said.While theUAEdidn't imme-

diatelyblameanyonefor theat-tack, Yahia Sarei, a militaryspokesmanoftheHouthigroup,

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Suspected drone attackon Abu Dhabi by Yemenrebels kills two Indians

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI, JANUARY17

CITING VARIOUS reformmeas-ures taken by the Government,suchastheremovalofretrospec-tive taxation, reduction in com-pliance requirements and sim-plification of the corporate taxrate structure, PrimeMinisterNarendraModiMondaymadeastrong pitch for India as an in-vestment destination and saidthisis“thebesttime”toinvestinthecountry.Addressing the World

Economic Forum's onlineDavosAgenda2022summit,ModisaidIndiaiscommittedtobeareliablepartnerintheglobalsupplychain,and is saving countless lives bysending medicines and Covidvaccinestoseveralcountries.He highlighted India's

“multi-lingual” and “multi-cul-

tural environment”, which hesaidwasasourceof“greatpowernotonlyof Indiabutofthewholeworld”.Welcoming theworld to in-

vest in India,Modi said: “Today,Indiahas the third largestnum-ber of unicorns in the world.Morethan10,000start-upshavebeen registered in the last six

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

36-secondvideohasChannimakinganappearance12times

THEPOWEROFDERABALLANEXPLAINED,PAGE13

OutsideKashmirPressClubonMonday.PTI

After thesuspecteddroneattack inAbuDhabi.UNI

PMNarendraModispeaksattheWEF’sonlineDavosAgenda2022summit. PTI

PM: Best time to investin India, multilateralinstitutions need reforms

New Delhi

THESECONDPAGE2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

Channi CM facetransitioned as a political leadereversincehetookoverasCM,”asenior party leader told TheIndianExpress.Another leader said the

Congress cannot, as of now, an-nounce Channi as the CM facegiven the CM aspirants in GoaandUttarakhand."HarishRawatwantsthepartytoannouncehimas the CM face and DigambarKamattooiseager.So,wecannotproject Channi officially but thesignalsareclear.Heisourbestbetandifthepartyreturnstopower,itwillbelargelybecauseofhim,"theleadersaid.In 2017, in a raremove, the

partyhadannouncedAmarinderSinghasitschiefministerialface,butbarelyaweekbeforevoting.Asked whether the party

would now spell out in clearterms that Channi will be theChiefMinister again if the partyis voted back to power, a leadermerely said, “Let’s see. TheElection Commission has de-ferred voting in Punjab toFebruary20.Nowthereisgapbe-tween voting in Goa andUttarakhand,andPunjab.”Thevideo, shotwithagricul-

turalfieldsinthebackground,hasBollywoodactor-turned-philan-thropist Sonu Sood saying "therealChiefMinisteristheonewhoisbroughttothechair,nottheonewho has to struggle to reachthere,nottheonewhohastosaythat he is the CMcandidate andthathedeservesit".TherealCM,Sood goes on to say, should be a"back-bencherwho should bebroughttotheforefrontandtoldthathewillbetheCM.Onlysuchapersoncanbringaboutchange".The 36-second video has

Channimakinganappearance12times.Noother leader is seen inthevideo,exceptforAmritsarMPGSAujlawhoappears forabriefsecond.Sidhudoesnotappearinthevideoatall. Therearevisualsof Channiwalking, draping hisshawl,squattingonthefloorandeatingmakkidirotiandsarsondasaag.Whenaskedaboutthevideo

andwhether Channiwas beingprojectedas theparty'sCMface,AICC secretary in-chargeHarishChaudhary, however, said, “Wewill fight the elections under acollectiveleadership.Wehaveal-ready said that.” To a question ifthedecisioncouldbechanged,hesaid, “There is nothing perma-nentinpolitics.Butthepartyhas

madeitclearthattheelectionwillbefoughtcollectively.”The video has, predictably

enough,createdapoliticalfuroreinthefaction-riddenparty.An aide of Channi said the

videowas amessage to Sidhu,who was pushing to be an-nounced as the CM candidate.“You heardwhat Sonu Sood issayinginthevideo--thatanatu-ral CMcandidate does not havetostruggle.”AleaderclosetoSidhu,how-

ever, said there was nothingmuchtoreadinthevideo.Thevideoalsocomesamida

string of comments in favour ofChanniastheparty'sCMface.OnMonday,Cabinetminister

RanaGurjitSinghsaidChannihasdone a "great job" in just threemonths and that raising a ques-tionmarkabouthiscontinuationas CMcan prove to be counter-productive.“When you already have a

Chief Minister who is doing agreat job, why put a questionmark about his continuation af-ter winning the elections?” heasked while asserting that itwould be unfair to Channi tomake him lead the party in theelections and then keephimontenterhooksabouthisfuturepo-sition.The party had settled the is-

sue of chief ministership threemonthsago,hesaid,addingthatthere is no need for any furtherdebatesordiscussions.“When youhave a tried and

tested CMwho has proved hismettle in a brief period of threemonths,whydoyouwanttoex-periment with someone un-knownanduntested?”heasked.A day earlier, on Sunday,

Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia,the party's sitting MLA fromShahkot, had demanded thatChannibeannouncedasCMcan-didate.“It is a sustained campaign

now. The leaders have seen thepopularityofChanni.Thatiswhythesekindsofstatementsareap-pearing,”a leadersaid.

Press Clubmembers, has been shut sinceSaturday,when a rival group ofjournalists barged in and de-clared themselves to be the "in-terimbody".In an official release on

Monday, the J&Kadministrationsaid, "Thefactualposition is thatKPC as a registered body hasceasedtoexistanditsmanaging

bodytoohascometoalegalclo-sureon14 July2021, thedateonwhichitstenurecametoanend.""In its failure to register itself

under the central Societies ofRegistration Act, further com-pounded by its failure to holdelections to constitute a newmanaging body, some individu-als of the erstwhile club havebeen committing illegalities onseveralcounts,leastofwhicharefalse portrayal of being owner-managersofanentitywhichisnolonger inlegalvogue".After the abrogation of

Jammu and Kashmir's specialstatus,thegovernmenthadaskedtheclub,aregisteredbody,toseekre-registrationunderthecentralSocieties of Registration Act.Whiletheclubappliedforre-reg-istrationinthefirstweekofMay2021 and the Registrar ofSocieties issued it onDecember29, a fortnight later, on January14, itwas put in "abeyance", cit-ingareportfromtheJ&KPolice'sCriminal InvestigationDepartment.The government release on

Monday, however, made nomention ofwhy the re-registra-tionwas revokedor thedelay intheprocess.IshfaqTantray,generalsecre-

tary of the elected body of thepressclub, said, "It seemstheul-timategoalwastoshutdowntheKashmir Press Club and for thispurpose, they tried to install agroupofjournalists(whobargedinto the premises on Saturday).Bythisaction,theywantedtosti-fle the voice of journalists thatresonated through the forumcalled Kashmir Press Club, theonly democratic and independ-ent journalistbody in theValley.But it is our firmbelief that ourjournalists are capable andpro-fessional enough to keep theflameglowingandconfrontthesechallenges ahead. Iwant to reit-erate that journalism thrived inKashmir and it will survive allcrests and troughs in the futureaswell".Reactingtothegovernment's

move,PDPchiefMehboobaMuftitweeted, "It seemsthat thecoup& its aftermathwas entirely or-chestratedtoshutdownanotheroutlet that served as amediumforjournaliststodebate&discusstheiropinionsfreely.Witheverypassing day all the safety valvestoexpressdissentarebeingmuz-zled.”Theofficialreleasewentonto

say,"Rivalgroupshavebeenlev-ellingvariousallegationsagainsteachother, andalsowith regardtotheuseofthepremisesbelong-ing to the Estates Departmentthat was being used for legiti-mateuseof themembersof thejournalistic fraternity," said therelease. "Inviewof thisaspectofthedisputeandinviewofthere-ports in socialmedia and othersourcesindicatingapotentiallawand order situation, including athreatofbreachofpeaceandthesafetyofbonafide journalists,aninterventionhasbecomeneces-sary...Ithasbeendecidedthatthe

allotmentofthepremisesatPoloViewinviewofthenowderegis-teredKashmirPressClubbecan-celled and control of land andbuildings situated at Polo ViewSrinagar which belongs to theEstatesDepartment be revertedbacktothesaiddepartment".

Kathak doyenalsoabouthisintrepidbeliefthatdance could convey just abouteverything.Gender, inall of this,rarelymattered as he sought tomove beyond any constraintsthathisart formoffered.BornBrijMohanNathMishra,

Maharajbegandancingwhenhewas four. His father, AchhanMaharaj, was from the presti-gious Kalka Bindadin family ofLucknow and the narrowLucknow lanewhere they livedwould reverberatewith the tin-kleofghungroos.“Myfatherusedto tell my amma, ‘Ladka bahutleyadaarhai(Theboyisextremelyrhythmic)',”hehadsaidinanin-terview to The Indian Express in2013. He began performing atconcertswithhisfatherbeforehisfirstmajor solo inWest Bengal.Whilestillinschool,Maharajhadsaid,hewouldusehisnotebookstowrite the bols of Kathak, in-

steadoftakingdownclassnotes.AcchanMaharajpassedaway

when BirjuMaharaj was nine.Armedwiththeprecisefootworkthat his father taught him, ayoungMaharaj began teachingwhile also being trained by hisuncles, ShambhuMaharaj andLachhuMaharaj, who are cred-itedwith givinghim the fluidityofmovementthathewasfamousfor.HemovedtoDelhitoteachatSangeet Bharti, Mandi House,andnever lookedback.His children Jai Kishen

Maharaj, DeepakMaharaj andMamtaMaharaj are all kathakdancers.At28,Maharajwasoneofthe

youngestartistestobehonouredwiththeSangeetNatakAkademyaward.HewasalsoconferredthePadmaVibhushan andwas theheadofKathakKendratillhisre-tirementin1998.What added to his perform-

anceswas his immense knowl-edge of percussion andHindustani classicalmusic. Hecould sing the thumrihewas todanceto.Soon,almosteverymu-sical conference in the countryhadMaharaj as their star per-former.What was interestingabout his Kathak performanceswas that these were not justmythologicalpieces,hewasalsocontemporisingthestories,eventakingbits fromhisdaily life.Some of his finest perform-

ances were with Ustad ZakirHussain.AtMaharaj’s75thbirth-day celebration at Delhi’s FICCIauditorium, he showcased gintiki tihaies and bhav through athumri sung by his brothers-in-law Pt Rajan and SajanMishra.WithMaharaj's intricate foot-work, superb control and stam-ina almost defying his age, anoverwhelmed Hussain hadlaughed as he said, “He dancedonmyfourthbirthday...AbkyunkiMaharajjiaajchaarsaalkehogayehain (Now thatMaharaj ji hasturnedfour),Iwantedtopayhimatribute.Whileplayingwithhim,I have no ideawhat hewill donext. It is a challenge I look for-wardto.”Maharaj also contributed to

Hindi film choreographies. Be itthe piece he choreographed for

his student Saswati Sen inShatranjkeKhiladiorforMadhuriDixit inDil Toh Paagal Hai andDevdas,forDeepikaPadukoneinBajiraoMastaniorKamalHaasaninVishwaroopam, theseintricateperformances showcased hissense of precision and fine cho-reography.Hisginti ki tihaaisarestudiedrigorouslybystudentsofKathak.As guru, Maharaj inspired

generationsofdancerstotakeupKathak. The trainingwas rigor-ous, “until itgot intoyourblood-stream,” as Shovana Narayan,who was trained by Maharaj,once said.Hisother students in-cludeNishaMahajan and AditiMangaldas,amongothers.Mangaldaswas a young girl

learningKathak inAhmedabad,whenherguru,KumudiniLakhia,andheraunt,writerandactivist,Pupul Jayakar, recommendedthatshelearnfromMaharaj,“themouth of the river”. “You didn’tlearnonlyinhisclassroom.Itwasan ongoing learning processwhich became away of life. Hissenseofobservation—ofrhythm,of poetry, of soundsaroundhimwassophenomenal. It’s incredi-blehowallof thistranslatedintodance,makinghimalarger-than-lifefigure,”saidMangaldas,whomoved away fromMaharaj's in-stitute, Kalashram, after a fewyears to start her own danceschool.Manjari Chaturvedi, who

learnedMaharaj’s style of danc-ingfromhisseniormoststudent,PtArjunMishra,believesthattra-ditional Kathak is alive becauseofPtBirjuMaharaj.“Whathedidfor Kathak can’t be quantified.That generation lived their artform. We perform it. WhenKathakbegan,itwasallaboutthesolo. Post-independence, withchangingtimes,headaptedwithgroup choreographies, but keptthe tradition alive,” saysChaturvedi.OnMonday,asMaharaj'spyre

was lit, his students recitedtatkaar (footwork)bols.

2 Indians killedsaid the group launched an at-tack "deep in the UAE". He didnotprovide furtherdetails, say-

ing a statement would be re-leasedsoon.Yemen's Houthi group has

taken responsibility for severalattacks on Saudi Arabian oil fa-cilities in the past. The UAE ispartof theSaudi-ledcoalitioninYemenfightingHouthi rebels.Whiletheidentityof thetwo

Indians is yet to be established,the Indian Embassy in the UAEconfirmedthedeaths."UAE authorities have in-

formed that the explosion atMussafah,nearADNOC'sstoragetanks, has led to 3 casualties,whichincludes2Indiannation-als. The Mission@IndembAbuDhabi is in closetouchwith concerned UAE au-thoritiesforfurtherdetails," theIndian Embassy in the UAEtweeted.ADNOC is the Abu Dhabi

NationalOilCompany.Anotherminorfirebrokeout

in the newconstruction area ofthe Abu Dhabi InternationalAirport, according to the state-runEmiratesNewsAgency.According to a Reuters re-

port, the AbuDhabi police saidinastatementthat“initialinves-tigations found parts of a smallplane that could possibly be adrone at both sites that couldhave caused the explosion andthe fire".Indiansarethelargestethnic

groupintheUAE,withanexpa-triatecommunityof around3.5million. Indians account fornearly 30 per cent of the coun-try’s population, and approxi-mately 15 per cent of the dias-pora is in the Emirate of AbuDhabi, according to the IndianEmbassy inUAE.

WITHINPUTSFROMAGENCIES

PM Modimonths.IndiaispromotingEaseof Doing Business, minimisinggovernment intervention. Indiahasmade it themost competi-tive intheworldbysimplifying,reducing its corporate tax rates.Inthelastyearalone,wehavere-ducedmore than 25,000 com-pliances. The spirit of entrepre-neurship,whichhasthecapacityto adopt new technology in

Indians, cangivenewenergy toeach of our global partners.That's why this is the best timeto invest in India.”At the same time, the Prime

Ministerstressedthatcollectiveand synchronised action isneededtodealwith issuessuchasclimatechange, inflationandsupplychaindisruption.Heun-derlinedtheneedforconcertedaction against cryptocurrencyandadiscussionontheabilityofmultilateral agencies to tackleemergingchallenges.“The challenges we have

been facing are also increasing.Tocounterthese,thereisaneedfor collective and synchronisedaction by every country, everyglobal agency. These supplychain disruptions, inflation andclimate changeareexamplesofthese.Anotherexampleiscryp-tocurrency.Thekindof technol-ogythatisassociatedwithit,thedecisionstakenbyasinglecoun-try will be insufficient to dealwith its challenges.We have tohaveasimilarmindset,”hesaid.In this context, Modi called

for a discussion on the role ofmultilateralagenciesintacklingsuchemerging issues.“But looking at the global

scenario today, the question iswhethermultilateral organisa-tions are ready to dealwith thenewworldorderandnewchal-lenges, is that potential left?When these institutions wereformed,thesituationwasdiffer-ent. Today, the circumstancesaredifferent. Therefore, it is theresponsibility of every demo-cratic country to emphasise re-forms in these institutions sothattheycanbeenabledtomeetthe challenges of the presentand future,”hesaid.Referring to India, thePrime

Minister said policy-making isfocussed on needs for the next25years for a “cleanandgreen"aswell as "sustainable and reli-able"growth.Speaking at length onCovid

and India's role in tackling thepandemic,hesaidthecountryis“coping with another wave ofcorona with caution and vigi-lance”.“At the same time, India is

alsomoving ahead in the eco-nomic fieldwithmanypromis-ing results. India is also excitedtobemarking75yearsof its in-dependenceandIndiaisalsofullof confidence to give 160 crorecoronavaccinedosesinjustoneyear,”hesaid.“A strong democracy like

Indiahasgiventhewholeworlda beautiful gift, a bouquet ofhope. In this bouquet, weIndians have an unwaveringtrust indemocracy; in thisbou-quet, the technology that willempower the 21st century isthere; in this bouquet, there isthe temperamentof us Indians,the talent of us Indians. Themulti-lingual,multi-culturalen-vironment inwhichwe Indianslive is a great power not only ofIndia but of the whole world.Thisstrengthteachesnotonlytothink foroneself in timesof cri-sis,butalsotoworkintheinter-estof humanity,”Modi said.“In this time of corona, we

have seen how India, followingthe vision of 'One Earth, OneHealth', is saving crores of livesby giving necessarymedicines,vaccines to many countries.Today, India is theworld's thirdlargest pharmaproducer, phar-macy to theworld. Today, Indiais one of those countries in theworldwherehealthprofession-als, where doctors arewinningthe trust of everyonewith theirsensitivity and expertise,” hesaid.Lastyear,too,whileaddress-

ingtheDavosDialogueviavideoconferencing in January, Modihad spoken at length about thepandemic,sayingthatIndiawassuccessful in tackling the pan-demicandsavedmillionsof livesdespite dire predictions. Twomonths later, the country facedadevastatingsecondwave.

FROMPAGEONE

In rare move, EC pushes Punjab polls to Feb 20Thenewdateofnotification

will be issued on January 25,andthestatewillgotopollsonFebruary20while countingofvotes will be undertaken onMarch10.“After consideration of all

factsmade available, ElectionCommission has announced2022General Elections to theLegislativeAssemblyofStateofPunjab on 8th January 2022under which notification forthe election is to be issued on21stJanuary2022andpollistotake place on 14th February2022,” theCommissionsaid inastatement.“Commissionhas received

several representations fromState Government, PoliticalPartiesandotherorganizationsdrawing attention regardingmovementofalargenumberofdevotees from Punjab toVaranasi forparticipation inSriGuruRavidas Ji Jayanti celebra-tions,whichisobservedon16thFebruary2022. Theyhave alsobroughttothenoticethatalargenumberof devotees startmov-ing forVaranasi aroundaweekbeforethedayofcelebrationandkeeping the poll day on 14thFebruary2022willdeprivelargenumberofelectorsfromvoting.In view of this, they have re-questedtoshiftthepolldatefewdaysafter16thFebruary2022,”itsaid.Chief Minister Channi had

urgedtheCommissiontopost-ponetheFebruary14AssemblypollsbysixdaysinviewofGuruRavidas Jayanti.In a letter to Chief Election

CommissionerSushilChandra,Channi said it was brought tohisnoticebyrepresentativesoftheScheduledCastescommu-nity, which is around 32 percent of the state’s population,that the birth anniversary ofGuruRavidasfallsonFebruary16.“On this occasion, a large

numberof SCdevotees (about20 lakh) from the state arelikely to visit Banaras in UttarPradesh from February 10 to16,”Channiwrote.“In such a situation,many

people from this communitywouldnotbe able to cast theirvotes for the state Assembly,which is otherwise their con-stitutional right,” he stated inthe letter.The Commission also took

inputs from the state govern-ment and the Punjab ChiefElectoralOfficer inthis regard.“After considering these

new facts emerging out ofthese representations, inputsfrom the State GovernmentandChiefElectoralOfficer,pastprecedence and all facts andcircumstances in thematter,nowCommissionhas decidedto reschedule the GeneralElections to LegislativeAssemblyofPunjab," it said.The poll body ismandated

under law to hold elections atanytimewithinsixmonthsbe-fore the five-year term of theLok Sabha or LegislativeAssemblyexpires.Thepolls are timed in such

away that the newAssemblyor Lok Sabha is in place on the

day of the dissolution of theoutgoing House. An electiononcecalledusuallyproceedsasperschedule.However,insomeexceptional cases, the processcan be postponed or evenscrapped after its announce-mentunderextraordinary cir-cumstances.As per practice, the

Commissionclubsallelectionsthat are close to each other toensure that the results in onestatedonotinfluencevotersinthestategoingtothepollssoonafter. Theearliestduedateof astatedeterminesthepolldatesforall theclubbedstates.Under Section 153 of the

Representation of the PeopleAct, thepollpanel can“extendthe time” for completing anelection, but such extensionshouldnotgobeyondthedateofthenormaldissolutionoftheLok Sabha or the Assembly. In1991, the Commission, underthisprovisionreadwithArticle324 of the Constitution, post-ponedparliamentaryelectionsfor threeweeks following theassassination of former PrimeMinister Rajiv Gandhi duringhiscampaigninTamilNadu.Section 153 of the

Representation of the PeopleAct, 1951 states: “Extension oftimeforcompletionofelection—It shallbecompetent for theElection Commission for rea-sonswhich it considers suffi-cient,toextendthetimeforthecompletion of any election bymaking necessary amend-ments inthenotification…”InMarch2020,electionsto

18RajyaSabhaseatswerepost-ponedbytheCommissiondueto the Covid-19 pandemic. InMay2021,theCommissionalsodeferred bye-elections in sev-eral states andUTs due to thepandemic.Former Chief Election

Commissioner SY Qureshi,writing in The Indian ExpressonJanuary3,explainedthattheterm of the House cannot beextended except in an emer-gency declared by Parliament,whichtheConstitutionrestrictsto only two situations —warandbreakdownof lawandor-der.“Itisstrangethatpeopleare

talking about banning ralliesandpostponingelectionsinthesamebreath.Banningrallies isanexecutiveorderoftheEC,thesimplest thing to do once anelection is announced.Postponing elections is not intheirhandsatall,andwouldbeaviolationoftheconstitutionalmandate that gives everyVidhan Sabha a fixed term. Assoon as the term is over, theHouse stands dissolved auto-matically.”“ThetermoftheHousecan-

not be extended except in anemergency declared byParliament, which theConstitution restricts to onlytwo situations — war andbreakdownoflawandorder.Inthe sevendecades of our elec-toralhistory,thishashappenedonly three times— in Assam,Punjab and Jammu andKashmir—ininsurgencysitua-tions,”hewrote.

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JAMMU DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER,

MEGA PROJECT DIVISION GBS JAMMU

e-NIT No. JDA/MP/DIV/2021-22/e-NIT/05 Dated 08-01-2022FRESH NOTICE INVITING TENDERS

For and on behalf of the Vice Chairman, JammuDevelopment Authority, Jammu tenders are invited through e-tendering Firm/Company dealing in the food retailing businesshaving at least four outlets PAN India for providing freshly cookedand processed food and beverages to the customers in ACRestaurant including operation and maintenance for a period of05 years at GBS cum Multi Level Car Parking cum CommercialComplex at Jammu.

1. Date of Publishing : 08-01-20222. The Bidding documents can be seen and downloaded from

the website http://jktenders.gov.in from 08-01-2022.a. The Bids shall be deposited in electronic format (on line) on

the website http://jktenders.gov.in from 08-01-2022b. Pre Bid meeting will be held in the JDA office Vikas Bhawan

Jammu on 15-01-2022 at 1200 hrs.c. The last date for submission of bids containing all the

required documents is 24-01-2022 upto 1200 hrs.d. The bids received will be opened online 24-01-2022 from

1400 hrs. onwards.e. The complete bidding process will be on line.

3. Bid documents can be seen at and downloaded from thewebsite http://jktenders.gov.in Bid documents contain qualifyingcriteria for bidder, specifications, bill of quantities, conditionsand other details.

DIPJ-5641

Sd/-Executive Engineer

Mega Projects Div. JDA GBS Jammu

Contact for Advt. Booking: M/s Friends Publicity Service

(M): 9212665841, 9212008155

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New Delhi

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JANUARY17

CHIEFMINISTERArvindKejriwalMondayflaggedoffthefirstelec-tricDelhiTransportCorporation(DTC)bus,andsaidthatanother300 are expected to ply on theroadsbyApril.“This is the first electric bus

inDelhi to becomeoperational.It is important inmanyways. Itis the beginning of a new era inthetransportsectorinDelhiwiththe first electric bus hitting theroad today. The bus takes 1-1.5hours to charge fully, as per fastcharging. In one completecharge,itcantravelupto120kmminimum. All depots are beingequippedwith charging facili-ties,” theCMsaid.The bus, number E-44, was

operational between IP DepotandPragatiMaidanonMonday,and theservicewill beavailablefrom 5.30 am to 8.20 pm everyday. It will be a circular routefromDTC’s Indraprastha DepotviaITO,AGCR,TilakMarg,MandiHouse, Barakhamba Road,ConnaughtPlace,Janpath,RajeshPilot Marg, Prithvi Raj Road,Aurobindo Marg, AIIMS, RingRoad,SouthExtension,Ashram,Bhogal, Jangpura, India Gate,HighCourt,PragatiMaidan,andwill endat IPDepot.“I believe electric buseswill

gradually replace the old buses.It is a major step towards con-trollingpollution in thecity. It isnoise free and has zero emis-sions…By April, we expect an-other 300 buses to reach Delhi.Ourtargetistorunaround2,000more electric buses in the com-

ingyears,”Kejriwal said.The Delhi government said

the total fleet of 300 buseswillrun fromMundela Kalan (100buses), Rajghat (50) and RohiniSector 37 (150 buses). Thesebuses have kneeling ramps fordifferentlyabledpassengers,and

special pink seats for women.They are also equipped withCCTV cameras, connected to atwo-wayCentralCommandandControl Centre (CCC) atKashmereGate,10panicbuttonsineachbusandahooter,thegov-ernmentsaid.Kejriwalalsosaidtheelectric

bus was the first bus to be in-ducted in the DTC fleet since2011:“Anotherimportantdevel-opment is that since 2011, not asingle new bus had been in-ducted in the DTC fleet. Therewas some jinx; whenever wetried,weranintosomeproblem.Today, this bus has been addedto theDTC fleet finally.”He said a ‘havan’ was con-

ducted in thehope that the jinxwould break and more buseswouldbeaddedtotheDTCfleet.Transport Minister Kailash

Gahlot and senior officers andemployeesof theDTCwerealsopresentontheoccasion.KejriwalandGahlotalsoinspectedthefa-cilities provided for the passen-gers inside thebus.Meanwhile, BJP MPManoj

Tiwari hit out at Kejriwal for in-ducting just one electric bus insevenyearsinDTC'sfleetandsaidMonday'sceremonywasonlyfor“hogging publicity”. “HadDelhiprocured11,000buses—6,000e-buses and 5,000 CNGpropelledbuses— citizens of Delhiwouldhavecleanairtobreathe,”hesaid.

CMArvindKejriwalandTransportMinisterKailashGahlot flagoff thebusat Indraprasthabusdepot.

Noida: Twomen have been ar-restedbyNoidaPoliceaftertheirpetdogbit a10-year-oldboyonMonday. Police said the duo,Ravinder and Saurabh, also al-legedlyassaultedtheboy’s fam-ilywhentheyprotested.Police said the child received

stitchesandwassenthome.“Wereceived information that a boyhad been bitten by a dog inSadopur village; a video of thesamehadgoneviralonsocialme-

dia. A complaint was receivedagainst the dog owner. The ac-cusedallegedlyletthedogattacktheminorandassaultedthefam-ilywhentheyprotested.Twoper-sonshavebeenarrestedwhilean-otherisabsconding,”saidapoliceofficeratBadalpurpolicestation.According to police and lo-

cals, the accused owned aRottweiler which they keptchainedwithin the compoundof theirhouse. ENS

Pet dog bites 10-year-oldin Noida, owners arrested

ROUTE:Circularroutestartingfromandterminatingat IPDepotviaITO,MandiHouse,ConnaughtPlace,AIIMS,SouthExtension, Jangpura,IndiaGate,HighCourtetc.■ Timetakenfor fullcharging:1-1.5hours■ Distancecovered inonecharge:120kmminimum

CHARGINGPOINTS:Currentlyat IPDepot, tobemadeavailableonotherdepotseventuallyFACILITIES: Kneelingrampsfordifferentlyabledpassengers,CCTVcamerasconnectedtoatwowayCentralCommand

andControlCentre (CCC)atKashmereGate,10panicbuttons

N E W F L E E T

CANRUN120KMONSINGLECHARGE

Delhi gets first electric bus,CM says 300more by April

AmitMehra

THECITY 3WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

New Delhi

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JANUARY17

SPORTING BLACK bands ontheir arms, traders in SadarBazarMondayprotestedtheim-position of the odd-even ruleandweekendcurfewinthecap-ital and said it will “kill busi-nesses”. The traders said onlyone form of the restrictionshouldbe imposed.Following a spike in Covid

cases, the Delhi DisasterManagement Authority hadfirst imposedodd-evenrestric-tions, followed by a weekend

curfew. This, traders said, onlylets shops function for 10-12business days amonth.Paramjeet Singh Pamma,

vice-chairmanoftheFederationof Sadar Bazar Traders’Association, said: “Traders havebeenput on a ventilator. Due tonight curfew, shops can’t func-tionafter10pmandloadingandunloading of goods is affected.With weekend curfew also inplace, we are left with two tothreedaysinaweektooperate.”“What is the point of vacci-

nationwhentherestrictionsareeven heavier? Pictures of therushatmarketsshowninnews-

papers are due to illegal hawk-ersandvendors. It isthegovern-ment’s duty to ensure thathawkers do not set up illegalshops,”hesaid.AshokRandhawa,president

of the Sarojini Nagar MiniMarket Association, said, “Weare already facing losses — ourwinter stock is usually sold outduring this time, but is nowpiledup. Ifwecan’tmakesales,our money will be stuck for ayear. While we can open forfewer days,we still have to paystaff their entire salary. Thecrowd is already thin, so wehopethatoneof therestrictions

iswithdrawn.”National Delhi Traders’

Association (NDTA) presidentAtulBhargava,whoownsashopin Connaught Place, said theodd-even rule is not a solution:“The real focus should be oncrowdmanagement.Thisiscre-ating confusion and chaos forcustomers and sales havedroppeddrastically.”Chief Minister Arvind

Kejriwal had earlier said therewill be no lockdown in the cityand all Covid restrictions willbe lifted gradually as casesdecrease and the death ratecomesdown.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JANUARY17

CONTINUINGAdownwardtrend,DelhiMonday reported 12,527fresh Covid cases, over 6,000fewer than seen the day before,as per the daily health bulletin.The positivity rate increasedslightly to 27.99%. The city alsosaw 24 deaths onMonday, tak-ing January’s total toll to280.Thedeclineinabsolutenum-

ber of cases, however, has beenbecauseoffewertestsconductedonSundayasreportedinthenextday’s bulletin. The number oftestsconductedhasbeenreduc-ing inDelhi since thenew ICMRtesting guidelines were intro-duced,whichdoawaywithtest-ingof asymptomaticpersonsondemand, low-risk contacts, andasymptomaticpersonsundergo-ingotherproceduresathospitals.Just 44,762 tests were con-

ducted onMonday, the lowestsince November 29which saw43,499 tests. Therewere 52,721testsconductedonaverageeverydayinthelastweekofNovember,which went up to 62,276 inDecemberlastweekwhencasesstarted increasing after remain-ing lowforoversixmonths.In theweek before the new

guidelineskickedinonJanuary10,87,792 testswere conducted onaverageeachday.Infact,thehigh-est number of RT-PCR tests ever

conductedinthecity(85,394)wasonJanuary12—ittookafewdaysforthenewguidelinestostartre-flectinginthenumberof tests.“Yesterday was Sunday so

that could also be a factor, butcasesaregoingtobefewertodayfollowing the declining trend.Therewill be4,000-5,000casesfewer than yesterday,” saidHealthMinister Satyendar Jainin an online briefing before thebulletinwasout. “Casesaredef-initely reducing for four daysnow and the advance indicatorfor thepeakwas that thehospi-talisationswerenotgoingup.”Hesaidifthetrendcontinues,

OPDserviceswillberestarted intwoof itsbiggesthospitals.

ANONNADUTTNEWDELHI, JANUARY17

SEVERALHOSPITALSinDelhiarestilltestingpatientsforCovid-19atthetimeofadmissionandbe-fore procedures to prevent in-hospital transmission, despitethe new testing guidelines is-sued by the Indian Council ofMedicalResearch(ICMR)statingthat asymptomatic patientsshould not be tested. Doctorsalso fear that the surgical out-comes could be worse in pa-tientswithanactive infection.“Asymptomaticpatientsun-

dergoing surgical/non-surgicalinvasive procedures includingpregnantwomenin/nearlabourwhoarehospitalisedfordeliveryshouldnotbetestedunlesswar-ranted or symptoms develop,”thenewguidelines read.ThenumberofCovid-19tests

inthecapitalhasdippedsharplysince the new guidelines did

awaywithtestingondemandforasymptomaticpatients, low-riskcontacts of a positive patient,and asymptomatic persons inhospital forotherprocedures.A senior official from the

Delhi government told TheIndian Express that sample col-lection by the government haddroppedbytwo-thirdsafter theguidelinescame into force.At the All India Institute of

MedicalSciences(AIIMS),asen-ior administrator said, “Theguidelines have been issued bytheministryandwehaveto im-plement it.”Doctors from the hospital,

however,saidthattestswerebe-ing conducted routinely beforeadmitting patients, shifting pa-tients to otherwards, aswell asbeforeprocedures.“Unless it is an emergency

life-threateningcondition,wedotest thepatientsbeforeanypro-cedures. The patients are alsotested before they are moved

fromonewardtotheother.Thereis no work-around. Even anasymptomatic person can givetheinfectiontotheothersickpa-tients in award and thenwedonot knowwhowill get a severedisease. Not tomention health-careworkers getting exposed,”

said a doctor from the hospital,onconditionof anonymity.At Safdarjung Hospital, pa-

tients are tested using a rapidantigen kit during admission.They aremoved to the isolationward in the Super SpecialityBlockif theytestpositive;if they

are symptomatic but test nega-tive they are sent to the suspectblock in the same building; iftheyare asymptomatic and testnegative they are admitted tootherwards.“Patients undergo somany

tests when they have to get aprocedure at the hospital.Adding a Covid-19 test doesn’tincrease the time and effort toomuch.Notdoing itwouldmeanexposingcountlessotherstotheinfection.Wedoask for the testwhen patients have to undergoany surgery or tests such as CTscan orMRI,” a doctor from thehospital said.Givenhowtransmissiblethe

newvariant is, scores of health-care workers have tested posi-tiveoverthepast fewweeks,re-sulting in a shortage ofmanpower.“Seventy one of our 380

nurses tested positive withinthreedaysofcasesstartingtoin-crease.Itwasbecomingverydif-

ficulttorunthehospital.Butthatisnottheonlyreasonwegetourpatientstestedbeforeaplannedsurgery,” said Dr Sumit Ray,medicalsuperintendentofHolyFamilyHospital.He said, “There is no evi-

dence so far to suggest that thesurgical outcome will not beworseinthosewithanactivein-fection. The outcomes for pa-tients with Covid-19 were badduring the twopreviouswaves.If it is an emergency life-savingsurgery, of course, it needs tohappenand is conductedwith-out the test. But why take achancewithanelectivesurgery;they can just come back in 10daysor soandget it.”Anotherseniordoctorfroma

prominent private hospital inthe city said, “We are also an-swerabletothefamilies.Whatifother people in a ward get in-fected or the outcome of a sur-gery is not good? We will besued.Wehave todo the test.”

DelhinursesbodydemandsreliefforkinofthosewhodiedonCoviddutyNew Delhi: The DelhiNurses Federation (DNF)has said it would go onstrikeovernon-releaseofcompensationtofamiliesofnurseswhodiedwhileonCovidduty.AccordingtoDNF secretary generalLiladhar Ramchandani,eight nurses working inDelhigovernmenthospi-tals died during the sec-ondwaveandtheir fami-lieshavenotyet receivedthe Rs 1 crore ex-gratiacompensation that waspromised by the govern-ment in May last year.“Our demand is that itshould be paidwithin 7days or it will force us togo on an agitation/ non-cooperationmovement,”readaletterbythenurses’bodytotheL-G’soffice.

MancollapseswhilebeingtakentocourtGurgaon: A 41-year-oldproclaimedoffender,whowastakenintopolicecus-tody to be produced in adistrictcourt,allegedlyfellunconsciousandhadtobehospitalised. While hisfamily alleged his condi-tion deteriorated due toharassmentbypolice,offi-cers denied this and saidthemanhadahistoryofaheartailment.ENS

LodhiGardenamongfourparkssettogetupgradeNewDelhi:TheNewDelhiMunicipal Council willdevelop four of itsmajorgardens — Nehru Park,Lodhi Garden, TalkatoraGarden and Sanjay Jheel-—intoworld-class facil-itieswith smart lighting,upgraded nursery andwalking tracks, amongotherthings,officialssaidonMonday.PTI

BRIEFLY

‘CAN’TRISKOTHERPATIENTS,HEALTHCAREWORKERS’

4THEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

TAKING COVEROnMonday,Delhi’smaxtempsettledat16.1degreesCelsius;minimumwas8.7.GajendraYadav

Odd-even rule, weekend curfew will kill business: Traders

Despite ICMRguidelines, hospitals liberalwith testing

Doctors fear that thesurgicaloutcomescouldbeworse inpatientswithanactive infection.Archive

Told officials to try wheelchairs toassess ground reality: HC to SDMC

Travel agentsamong 3 held forvisa, passport fraud

PWD kicks off projectto overhaul capital’sdrainage system

TradersatSadarBazarheldaprotestagainst therestrictionsonMonday. Express

NewDelhi:Delhi Congresschief Anil KumarMondaycriticised the drop in dailyCovid tests, calling it an ef-forttosuppressthenumberofcases.“TheDelhigovern-menthasreducedthenum-berofCovidtestsitisdoing...Firstofall,wherewillthosepeoplewhoneedCovidre-ports go? Secondly, testingisreducedtoreducethefearof thewave,”hesaid.ENS

REDUCTION IN TESTSBID TOSUPPRESSNUMBERS: DPCCCHIEF

Daily tests lowestsince Nov-end, citysees 12k new cases

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JANUARY17

STATINGTHATengineers of theSouth MCD were required totravel inwheelchairs on VasantVihar’s footpaths without anyassistance to check their viabil-ity,theDelhiHighCourtMondaysaidtheexercisewasnotorderedfor submission of photographstothecourtbuttomaketheoffi-cersfeelthesituationonground.Italsopulleduptheauthori-

ties, includingpolice, for not re-movingvehiclesparkedonfoot-pathsoutsidehousesinthearea.The court, which had in

November directed SDMCengi-

neers to travel on footpaths onawheelchairwithoutanyaidoras-sistance,afterseeingphotographsoftheexercise,observed,“Pushinghimonthewheelchair...isitapartofthedutyofthegentlemanwhoispushinghim?Thecourt’sorderwasnottobeassistedbyanybody.LettheMCDthendeputeoneper-soneverywherewherever thereare wheelchair-bound. Everyhousewill haveone-twopeoplestandingthere.”Justice Najmi Waziri said

there should be no necessity ofpushing wheelchairs on thefootpathsandaskedauthoritiesto take correctivemeasures forremovalofobstructions.“Idon’tknowwhatistheapproach.How

do you empower a citizen or isthiswheelchair-boundcitizenalesser citizen? They have equalrights,” said thecourt.Thecourtalsosaidadvertise-

ment boards on the footpathsneedtobeshifted. “What is im-portant? Movement of peopleoradvertisementboard,”askedthecourt.The court haspassed theor-

der on a contempt petitionwhich alleged that the areaaround hundreds of trees inVasant Vihar has been concre-tised,andsoughttheirpreserva-tion. The authorities, includingSDMC and PWD, Monday toldthecourtthatcorrectivestepsinthis regardarebeing taken.

GAYATHRIMANINEWDELHI, JANUARY17

THEPUBLICWorksDepartment(PWD) has started preliminarywork on redeveloping thedrainagesysteminabidtoresolvewaterloggingwoes that plaguethecapitaleverymonsoon—be-ginningwiththeNajafgarhbasin,whichcovers123drains.It has also floated tenders for

engagingaconsultanttoconducta survey and come up with aDetailedProjectReport(DPR)forredeveloping and re-construct-ing the drainage system. Afterfindingthe‘DrainageMasterPlan’prepared by IIT-Delhi generic innature,theDelhigovernmenthadlast year appointed PWDas thenodalagencyfortheproject.A senior PWD official said:

“Waterlogging andurban flood-ingareaperennialprobleminthecapital.Themainreasonsbehindthis are the city’s topography,whichrestrictsthegravityflowofstormwater; mixed flow instormwaterdrains; intenserain-fallmuch higher than designedcapacity of stormwater drains;disposal of silt and constructionwaste;andineffectivedesilting.”To address these problems,

the government has decided tofinddrainage solutions for eachof the three basins in Delhi atNajafgarh, covering an area ofapproximately 980 sq km,Barapullah, andTrans-Yamuna.

“WearekickingoffworkfromtheNajafgarhdrainbasin.Theten-derprocess toappointaconsult-anthasbegun;theywillstudytheentire basin area and the drainscoveredunderit.Theobjectiveoftheconsultancyservice is topro-vide solutions as per the frame-workofthedrainagemasterplanandasystemwherenowaterlog-ging occurs in theNCTof Delhi-NajafgarhBasin,”saidtheofficial.Tenders for appointing con-

sultantsforthetwootherbasinswill alsobe floated.Theofficial added: “The con-

sultantwill furtherprovidesolu-tionsforindividualdrainageatthemacrolevelandspecificlocations.Reasonsforwaterlogging,delayindrainofsurfacerunoff,constraintsandsolutions,rainfalldistribution,reuse of stormwater etc.,will becoveredinthefeasibilityreport.”Besides, a hydraulic study to

test soil andwater, and a topo-graphical survey of existingpipelines,drains,andotherpos-sible stormwater disposal sys-tems at all probable waterlog-ginglocationswillbeconducted.Once the consultants are en-

gaged, theDPRwillbereadyin9monthsandsolutionswillbeim-plementedbytherespectiveroad,drain-owning agencies—PWD,MCD,DSIIDC,DDA,DJBandotherdepartmentsconcerned.The city’s entire drainage

systemwill be redeveloped by2025 under the master plan,said theofficial.

GAYATHRIMANINEWDELHI, JANUARY17

AFTERMISSING several dead-linesandfacingdelaysduetothelockdown,constructionworkontheextensionof AshramflyovertoDelhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) ex-presswayhaspickeduppace.The1.2-km, six-lane flyover, whichwas supposed to be completedbyMarch this year, is now ex-pectedtobefinishedbyAugust.

The projectwas approved inthe cabinet alongwith the pro-posaltoconstructtheAshramun-derpassin2019,andafoundationstonewas laid inDecember thesameyear.Butworkwasdelayeddue to Covid outbreak and be-causethetrafficpolicedidnotgiveano-objectioncertificate(NOC).“Preliminary work started

last February but was delayedagain due to the second waveandlockdown.Now,workonthecentralportionhasjustbegunaf-ter we received the NOC forphase2,whichwasissuedbythetrafficpoliceinSeptember2021,”saidaseniorPWDofficial.

“Wideningoftheroadhasal-mostbeencompleted.Trafficpo-licehad initially denied theNOC

afterongoingconstructionworkontheAshramunderpasscausedheavy traffic snarls at Ashram

Chowk, Ring Road toMathuraRoad, Sarai Kale Khan, andMaharaniBagh.Theywantedtheunderpasstobefinishedfirst.TheNOCwasgiveninSeptemberandthe flyoverwas scheduled to bereadybyMarch2022, but itwasdelayedagaindue toaconstruc-tion ban.Work is in full swingnow andwill be completed byAugust2022,”saidtheofficial.The flyover will provide

smoothandsignal-freecommut-ingfromtheDNDexpresswaytillLajpat Nagar as well as fromLajpat Nagar to Sarai Kale Khan.Itwill alsohave ramps for trafficcoming from Sarai Kale Khan.

ThePWDofficialadded,“Weareexecuting the work carefullykeepinginmindtheconvenienceof commuters who are facingproblemsonthisstretch.”Officials added that 3-4 lakh

commuters will benefit whenworkonthe750-m-longunder-pass is completed by FebruaryanditwillbeopenedinMarch,ifCovidcasesareundercontrol.“Workontheunderpassisgo-

ing as per schedule andwill notbedelayed.TheDTLcablelinehasalsobeenremovedandslabsandstructureshavebeenconstructed.Thewall and covering of the re-mainingportionoftheunderpass

willbecompletedinthenextfivedays.Afterthis,onlyflooringandsome final touches are left. So,99% work is done and will becompletedbyFebruary-end.Thegovernment has to then give itsapproval and it will be inaugu-ratedinthefirstweekofMarch,”saidtheofficial.As of now, traffic to and from

Sarai Kale Khan, DND, Bhogal,Badarpur, Mathura Road andOuter Ring Road is hit on thestretch. Due to diversions, com-muters take inner roads of resi-dential areas such as KalindiColony, Amar Colony, LajpatNagar,inconveniencingresidents.

Theunderpass is750metres long. Express

INFRAWATCH

WILL BENEFIT 3-4 LAKH COMMUTERS

Ashram underpass to be ready by March, flyover will take a little longer

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JANUARY17

THEDELHIPolicehavearrestedapassengerandtwotravelagentsfromDelhi’s IGI Airport for al-legedvisaandpassport fraud.According to officials,

thetravelagents, JoginderSinghand Surjeet Singh, operatedin Haryana’s Kaithal andKurukshetradistrictswheretheyallegedly helped farmers travelabroad on fake documents andinduced them to pay a heftyamount.PolicesaidthearrestedpassengerhasbeenidentifiedasKuldeepSingh.Thematter came to light on

January9whenimmigrationof-ficialscaughtKuldeepattheair-port. He was going to board aflight to Dubai. “Officers werechecking his travel documentswhen they found a fakeCanadian visa affixed on thepassport. The visa looked gen-uinebutdidn’thavethesamese-curity signatures. They stoppedKuldeepandstarted interrogat-inghim,” saidpolice.Kuldeep revealed that he

wanted to go to Dubai andCanada and paid Rs 16 lakh toJoginder for a visa. He also toldpolicethatJoginderwaswaitingoutside theairport tohelphim.DCP(IGIAirport)SanjayTyagi

said they sent teams to look forJoginder. “We took his phone

numberfromKuldeepandput iton surveillance.Our team foundthat Joginderwas communicat-ing with Kuldeep’s familythroughWhatsAppcalls,andwestartedtrackinghim.Withinfourhours,wefoundhimandarrestedhimneartheairport,”hesaid.During questioning, he con-

fessed to his crime. He said heand Surjeet allegedly helpeddozensoffarmersinHaryanagetfake traveldocuments.Joginder was produced be-

fore a court on January 10 andsenttoseven-daypolicecustody.During this time, several raidswere conducted in Kaithal andKurukshetratotraceSurjeet.LastTuesday, Surjeet was appre-hended from Kaithal and laterarrested inDelhi.“Wefoundtheirrecords.They

cheatedairportofficialsmultipletimesandhavebeenmakingfakecopies of passports and visas fora long time. There are otheragents in their gangwho are ontherun.Ourteamisinvestigatingthematter...,”saidanofficer.

PolicesaidtheagentsoperatedinKaithalandKurukshetraandallegedlyhelpedfarmerstravelabroadonfakedocuments

Total VacantHOSPITAL BEDS 15,498 12,753ICU BEDS 4,439 3,624

CORONAVIRUSIN THECAPITAL

VACCINATIONS INLAST24HOURS23,577

NOIDAJan16 Jan17

Cases 1,498 2,154Deaths 0 0GURGAONCases 3,378 3,448Deaths 1 2

OMICRONCASES549

PATIENTS INHOSPITAL:2,784OXYGENSUPPORT 769VENTILATORSUPPORT 140

DELHI: TOTALCASES17,22,497

Cases Recoveries Deaths TestsJan16 18,286 21,846 28 65,621Jan17 12,527 18,340 24 44,762Total 83,982* 16,13,128 25,387 3,41,04,825*Total active cases inDelhi

New Delhi

- Arvind Kejriwal

"According to experts, Omicron spreads very rapidly, but there is no needtopanic.Continue towearyourmask, followall covidnormsandwhen it’stime, remember togetyourPrecautionDoseof theCovid-19vaccine”

CORONA ISN'T OVER YET!REMEMBER TO GET VACCINATED

CORONA ISN'T OVER YET!REMEMBER TO GET VACCINATED

Health care workers and front lineworkers must get the PrecautionDose of Covid-19 vaccine(On completion of 9 months/39 weeks from the date of 2nd dose)

Children in the 15-18 age groupmust get the Covid-19 vaccine

(On completion of 9 months/39 weeks from the date of 2nd dose)

60 years + with co-morbiditiesmust take the Precaution Doseof Covid-19 vaccine

www.delhifightscorona.in

(All those born before 31st December, 2007 are eligible)

Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, Government of NCT of Delhi

DIP

/Sha

bdar

th/D

/018

8/21

-22

HARIKISHANSHARMANEWDELHI, JANUARY17

A SWING of 5,000 votes canchange the outcome of everyfifth Assembly seat in Punjaband every 10th seat in UttarPradesh,showsananalysisofthe2017results inbothstates.Asmanyas26of 117seats in

Punjaband47of403constituen-cies in Uttar Pradesh were de-cidedbyavictorymarginof be-low5,000votes in the lastpolls.The5,000-votemarginisnot

big inviewof theaveragesizeofanAssemblyconstituencyinthetwo states — around 3.74 lakhvoters inUPandabout1.83 lakhinPunjab.InUP,of the47seatsdecided

byawinningmarginof lessthan5,000 votes, the BJP won themost, 23, and came second on15. The SP won 13 of the seatsandwasrunner-upin17.TheBSPwon 8 of the seats, while theCongress, Rashtriya Lok Dal(RLD) and Apna Dal (Soneylal)got1seateach.In 8 of the 47 seats, thewin-

ningmarginwas less than1,000votes. Of these, the BJP won 5(Doomariyaganj, Meerapur,Shrawasti, Muhammadabad-Gohna (SC) and RampurManiharan); the BSP won 2(Mant and andMubarakpur);and the SP 1 (Mohanlalganj). Infact, Doomariyaganj saw the

lowestmargin across the state,withtheBJP’sRaghvendraPratapSinghdefeatingtheBSP’sSaiyadaKhatoonbyjust171votes.The second lowest margin

was recorded in Meerapur,where Avatar Singh Bhadana,who contested on a BJP ticket,defeatedSPcandidateLiyakatAliby 193 votes. Bhadana left theBJP and joined the RLD earlierthismonth.In nine seats — Duddhi,

Bhadohi, Patti,Matera,Bansdih,

Tanda, Mahmoodabad,Unchahar and Bharthana – thewinner was decided by 1,000-2,000 votes. Thewinningmar-gin was between 2,000 and3,000 in 10 seats — Najibabad,Lalganj, Gainsari, Kanth,Pharenda, Badlapur, Kannauj,Atrauliya, Sidhauli andPratappur. And between 3,000and 4,000 votes in 12 —Moradabad Nagar, Jangipur,Dhaurahra, Chillupar, Aonla,Dholana, Didarganj,

Harchandpur, Maholi, Patiyali,ChhaprauliandBidhuna.Ineightseats — Nakur, Manjhanpur,Machhlishahr, Isauli, Shahabad,Sahaswan,GorakhpurRuralandSaharanpurNagar—themarginwas4,000-5,000.In Punjab, 26 seatswere de-

cided by amargin below 5,000votes. Of these, amaximum, 11,werewonbytheCongress,whilethe Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)bagged 7, AamAadmi Party got6, and theBJPwon2.Three seats — Fazilka and

Bhucho Mandi (won by theCongress)andBatala(SAD)—sawawinningmargin of less than1,000 votes. Nine seats —DeraBabaNanak,Budhlada,LudhianaEast, Dirba, Garhshankar,Moga,Banga (SC), Dera Bassi andFatehgarh Churian—were de-cidedbyamarginbetween1,000and 2,000 votes. The winningmarginwas between2,000 and3,000votesin4seats—Phagwara,Kharar, Barnala andDhuri. In 5seats — Abohar, Nawanshahr,Phillaur, Sham Chaurasi andAmloh– themarginwas 3,000-4,000votes.Only5seats—Dakha.Sahnewal, Sanour, Shahkot andMalout — recorded a winningmarginof4,000to5,000votes.According to the Election

Commission of India, the totalnumber of eligible voters in theUP Assembly elections is 15.06crore,while the figure stands at2.13crore forPunjab.

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

6 DECISION 2022U T T A R P R A D E S H ● U T T A R A K H A N D ● P U N J A B ● G O A ● M A N I P U R

Jolt to AAP as Ferozepur Ruralcandidate jumps ship to CongChandigarh:TheAAP’sFerozepurRuralcandidateAmandeepAshuBangerMondayresignedfromthepartyandjoinedtheruling Congress in Punjab, alleging Arvind Kejriwal’s outfitruns likea “multinational company”withonlyDelhi leaderscalling the shots. After joining the Congress, Banger said: “Iwasfeelingstressedinthisenvironment,whichwasalsohin-dering the so-called development agenda andwelfare ofPunjab by the party.”Welcoming Banger into the Congress,ChiefMinisterCharanjitSinghChanni toldreporters that theleaderwill contest theFebruary20Assemblyelections fromthe seat on the ruling party’s ticket. He claimed that peoplearerejectingtheArvindKejriwal-ledoutfit.“Theirbubblehasburst,” saidChanni. ENS

Kejriwal slams ChidambaramNewDelhi:Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and seniorCongress leader and formerUnionministerPChidambaramonMonday engaged in awar of words over the upcomingAssemblypolls inGoa.KejriwalhittingbackatChidambaramfor his assessment that the contest in Goa is between theCongressandtheBJP,andthattheAAPwillsplitnon-BJPvotes.“Sir,stopcrying.Goanswillvotewheretheyseehope.Congis(the)hope forBJP, notGoans.15of your17MLAs switched toBJP.Congressguarantee-everyvotetoCongresswillbesafelydeliveredtoBJP.TovoteBJP,routethroughCongressforsafede-livery,”Kejriwal tweeted. ENS

Ballotin

SHIVNARAYANRAJPUROHITNEWDELHI, JANUARY17

FORMALLY joining theSamajwadi Party after exitingthe Uttar Pradesh governmentand the BJP, Swami PrasadMauryamade a reference thatwas unusual even by the stan-dards of the state that has seenit all. Accusing Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath of neglectingbackwards and Dalits, Mauryasuggestedhehadbeendroppedinto thechair like “Skylab”.

The space stationAmerica’s first spacestation,

Skylab, was launched by NASAonMay14,1973,tomonitorme-

teorology,solaractivities,mate-rials processing etc. From itslaunchuntilthereturnofitsthirdand final crew on February 8,1974, the Skylab programmeprovedthathumanscanliveandworkinouterspaceforextendedperiods. The first crew spent 28days inorbit, the second59andthe final84.The last crew undocked the

station in February 1974 andpushed it into a higher orbit byattachingthrusters.Theoriginalplan was for the station to re-maininspaceforanother8to10years.ToNASA'ssurprise,Skylabbegan de-orbiting faster than ithadanticipated.Thechiefreasonwasawarmeratmosphereinthemid-1970s due to coronalmassejections,or “smallballsof fire”,

emittedbytheSun.Thiscreatedan atmospheric drag on Skylabandpulled it towards theEarth.MultipleplanstopushSkylab

into a higher orbit came to anaught, and it became clear thestationwouldre-entertheEarthin 1979, four years earlier thanexpected. The planned splash-down in the less populatedsouthern hemisphere caused afrenzy across the world, fromCanberra in Australia toKarimnagar in Andhra.Weighing85tonnes,Skylabwasthe heaviest space object tillthen, according toNASA.As per media reports at the

time, people in the coastalstates of Andhra andOrissa (asit was called then)migrated to“safer places”, and some even

tooktowearinghelmets.Theis-sue of “reported panic amongpeople fearing fall of Skylabsplinters”wasevenraisedintheLok Sabha. The Union govern-ment was asked if it had takenappropriate measures to pro-tect people. As his governmentreached the point of collapse,

then prime minister MorarjiDesai told newspersons in July1979: “Even if the Skylab fallshere, I will remain unruffled.”Eventually,duringits“faster-than-a-bullet”descent,mostof Skylabwentup in flamesdue toatmos-pheric friction. The rest of its de-brisfelloffsouth-westernAustraliacoast.Bemusedcallers toABCra-dioreportedhavingseen“amete-oricshower”witha“sonicboom”.

Spacecraft kill rare“It is almost rare a spacecraft

would hit populated areas be-cause our deorbitingmethodshave improved over the years,”says Sanat K Biswas, AssistantProfessor and Head of SpaceSystems Laboratory ofIndraprastha Institute ofInformation Technology, Delhi.Biswas,who is developing anal-gorithm topredict collisions be-tween satellites and space junk,said probability of space debrishittingapopulatedareawas1 in3,200.

WhatMaurya saidAttheeventwherehejoined

theSPalongwithotherBJPlead-ers on January 14,Maurya said:“TheBJPformeditsstategovern-

ment (in 2017)with support ofKeshavPrasadMaurya (nowUPdeputy CM), Swami PrasadMauryaandthebackwardcom-munity. Discussions were heldthat the CM would either beKeshavPrasador SwamiPrasadMaurya.Butanattemptwasfirstmade to drop a Skylab fromGhazipur. But that Skylab had ablast before reaching here.AnotherSkylabwaspickedfromGorakhpur and placed on CM'schair to hoodwink backwardclasses.”

What hemeantSpeaking to The Indian

Express, Maurya said hemeantto convey that Adityanath’s se-lectionwasabolt fromtheblue.“The (2017)electionwas fought

under the leadership of KeshavPrasadMauryaji, whowas thenthestateBJPpresident.Theothertwo CM contenders wereMahesh Sharmaji and DineshSharmaji (also a Dy CM cur-rently)... If any of the three hadbeen chosen, therewould havebeennoSkylab.”TheBJP haddelayednaming

aCMforaweekafter its stupen-dous win, with Adityanathemerging as the surprise choiceafteraday-longmeeting.WhiletheGorakhpurSkylab

reference was clearly toAdityanath,afour-timeMPfromGorakhpur, Maurya did notspecify what he meant byGhazipur.

FULLSTORYON:www.indianexpress.com

NUMBEROF SEATSWONBYAMARGINOFBELOW5,000VOTESPUNJABParty SeatswonAAP 6BJP 2INC 11SAD 7GrandTotal 26

UTTARPRADESHParty SeatswonADAL 1BJP 23BSP 8INC 1RLD 1SP 13GrandTotal 47

80-yr-old on FB,live interactionon YouTube,hashtag hustleDIVYAGOYALGOPALLUDHIANA, JANUARY17

“MAINHUNFacebookchalataanlaina haan, par oh gall nahinbandi (I can use Facebook now,butitisnotthesamething),”saysTota Singh, the Akali candidatefromDharamkotofMoga,andan80-year-old veteran of fivedecades of poll battleswho hasbeenforcedthistimetogodigital.Apartfromsmartphonesand

Facebook, Tota Singh, a three-timeMLA, nowhas the hang ofparty meetings on Zoom, andbulk messages onWhatsApp.His children pitch in (includingMoga Akali Dal candidateBarjinderSinghMakhanBrar),asdo his grandchildren. His newteam is runningasmanyas206booth-levelWhatsAppgroupsinhis constituency. A new snappytaghehasacquiredonFacebookis ‘Dharamkot da jathedar (TheleaderofDharamkot)’.Yet, rues the80-year-old, the

impersonal so-cial media cannever substi-tute the con-nectof physicalrallies. Tota Singh is also appre-hensive that the ElectionCommission’s banon ralliesduetorisingCovidcaseswouldhittheAkaliDal themost,with itsvoterbase comprising farmers, dailywagersandruralhouseholds.“They still cannot access the

Internetorusesocialmedia.Eachrally of the Badals would seegatheringofthousands,”hesays.Son Brar says he has hired a

privateagencytomanagetheso-cialmediacampaignsofhimandhis father. “Photographers andvideographers accompany usandtheycoordinatewithourin-house team to update each ac-tivity on Facebook, Instagramandotherplatforms.”The EC ban on rallies till at

leastJanuary22hasforcedmostcandidatesinPunjabtogodownthe same route, with familiesandprofessional agencies help-ing generate content such asgraphics, caricatures, videos,catchyone-linersetc.Parties say if the ban is ex-

tendedfurther,theywouldhold“virtualrallies”nextandthatthegroundwork has started, withconstituency-level socialmediavolunteersmobilising support-ers to join platforms such asZoom,FacebookLiveetc.The Akali Dal contest is fo-

cused around party presidentand former deputy CMSukhbirSingh Badal and ex-ministerBikramSinghMajithia,onbail inadrugscase.Thepartyhashiredpoll analyst Sunil Kanugolu’sMindshareAnalytics tomanagethecampaignoverall,withanin-charge attached to each candi-date.Thefirmdesignedthe‘GallPunjab Di (Let's talk aboutPunjab)’ campaign forSAD.OnMonday, Sukhbir Badal

with party’s Kharar candidateRanjit SinghGill held theparty’sfirst live virtual interactionwiththe constituency on FacebookandYouTube.Theparty’sITheadNashattar Singh says, “We areusing Facebook, Instagram,YouTube, ShareChat, Snapchatetc, butmainly it is the 23,000booth-levelWhatsApp groupswhich are the backbone of ourdigital campaign. We use‘WhatsAppDashboard’tocheckif theposts are reaching the tar-getedvoters.”TheAamAadmi Party says it

itsdigitalcam-paign is de-signed as perthe target agegroup, with

the central themebeingArvindKejriwal—‘IkmaukaKejriwalnu(OnechancetoKejriwal)’.Theparty'ssocialmediahead

forPunjab,AkashnoorSinghsays,“After Kejriwal, our focus is onstate president BhagwantMannasheisextremelypopularamongthevoters.Wearealsousingfea-tures such as Reels on FB andInstagram. Our focus is not onhashtagsbut content, to tell vot-erswhytheyshouldvoteforAAP.”About their age-wise strat-

egy,Akashnoorsays:“Ifwehaveto reach those aged 35 andabove, thenFacebook iskey. Forvotersaged18-35,wearepush-ing content on Instagram. InPunjab, Twitter is not verypop-ular and it is mostly used byparty volunteers for politicalpostsandnetworking.”Thesocialmediawarroomof

the Congress, headquartered inMohali, is headedbyparty's na-tional digital coordinatorGauravPandhi.ItscampaignisfocusedonportrayingCharanjitSinghChanniastheCMofthecommonpeople,with hashtags such as ‘111Congress dubara (More ofChanni's111days)’,‘LokkandaCM(People's CM)’ and ‘Lokkan disarkaar(People'sgovernment)’.

FULLSTORYON:www.indianexpress.com

BKU chief goes backon support to SP-RLDAMITSHARMA&MAULSHREESETHMEERUT,LUCKNOW,JAN17

BHARTIYA KISANUnion (BKU)chiefNareshTikaittookbackhisearliercalltosupporttheSP-RLDalliance in the elections. “Humthoda sa faltu bol gaye. Humeaisa nahi kehna chayiye tha (Italkedabitsilly.Ishouldnothavesaid so). We cannot go againstthe SKM decision or else theywill expelus too,”Nareshsaid.The SKM had on Sunday

snapped tieswith constituentswho had entered the electionfray inPunjab.Sources said Naresh made

the U-turn onMonday becausehis younger brother and BKUspokesperson,RakeshTikait,hadobjectedtoextendingsupporttoanypoliticalpartyoralliance.Naresh’scommentsfollowed

a Monday morning visit byUnion Minister and BJP MPSanjeevBalyantotheTikaits'an-cestralhome inSisauli.Tikait’scommentsalsocame

onadaywhenSP chiefAkhileshYadav took an “anna sankalpa”,

apledgetostandbyfarmersanddefeat the BJP in the upcomingelections inUttarPradesh.With Tejender Virk, an SKM

leader whowas injured in theLakhimpur Kheri incident onOctober3,andotherLakhimpurKheri farmersbyhisside,Yadav,who took fistfuls of rice andwheat ineachofhishands, said,“The Samajwadi Party has de-cided we will take this annasankalp to remove and defeatthe BJP that is guilty of carryingoutatrocitiesagainst farmers.”The SP chief also announced

minimum support price for allcrops, a fund to pay farmers' ar-rearsandduestosugarcanefarm-ers, interest-free loansandRs25lakhtoeachof thefamiliesof thefarmerswhodied in LakhimpurKheri incident, among otherfarmer-centric promiseswill bepartof theSPmanifesto.On Bhim Army chief

Chandrasekhar, who accusedhimof"insulting"theScheduledCastes after their alliance talksfailed,Yadavsaid, “TodefeatBJP,whatever sacrifice is requiredshould be done. If he wants tohelpmeasabrother,hecan."

POLL HUDDLEChiefMinisterYogiAdityanatharrivesfortheBJP’scorecommitteemeetingonUttarPradeshAssemblyelectionsatthepartyheadquarters inNewDelhionMonday.PremNathPandey

GAPOF5,000VOTESORLESS

SUKHBIRSIWACHCHANDIGARH, JANUARY17

THE SANYUKT Samaj Morcha(SSM) and the SamyuktSangharsh Party (SSP) onMondayfinallyagreedtoformanallianceinPunjab,daysafterdif-ferencesemergedbetweentheirleaders ahead of the AssemblyelectionsdueonFebruary20.Leaders of both groups told

TheIndianExpressthatSSM,ledbyBalbir SinghRajewal, has agreedtooffer10 seats to theSSP ledbyGurnamSinghChaduni ina jointcontestfortheelectionstothe117-member Punjab Assembly. Nothaving an alliance, they said,wouldhave sent a “wrongmes-sagetooursupporters”.“Bothfactionshaveagreedto

contest the upcoming pollsjointly.Aspertheagreement,theSSPwill contest ten seatswhilecandidates for remaining seatswill be fieldedby theSSM,” saidsenior SSM leader and formerprofessoratChandigarh’sPanjabUniversity,ManjeetSingh.SSP’s Punjab president

Rashpal Singh Jouramajra saidthe partywill likely release thelist of its 10 candidates onTuesday.“Peoplearehappywiththe unity of farmer groups.Wehave now planned to issue ajoint poll manifesto for thePunjab polls,” Jouramajra said,addingthefocuswillbethestateagriculturesector.

Farmer groupsseal alliance,Chaduni groupon 10 seats

Akali leaderSukhbirBadalwithparty leadershostinga liveinteractiononFacebookandYouTube.Express

Every fifthseat inPunjabsawlowgap, theCongresswon11of26seats

Narrowmargins in 47 seatsin UP in 2017, BJPwonmost

& S E M A N T I C SP O L I T I C S

E●EXPLAINED

How and why a space station entered poll horizon in Uttar Pradesh

TheSkylabspacestation

UTTARPRADESH

Jan8 Jan17

15,5536,401

Deaths 22,972DeathsToday 9Cases

PUNJAB

Jan8 Jan17

6,5933,560

Deaths 16,790DeathsToday 21Cases

UTTARAKHAND

Jan8 Jan17

3,295

1,560

Deaths 7,444DeathsToday 4Cases

GOA

Jan8 Jan172,174

Deaths 3,563DeathsToday 6Cases

MANIPUR

Jan8 Jan17

235

76

Deaths 2,015DeathsToday 0Cases

TRACKINGCOVID INELECTION-BOUND

STATES

1,789

VOTINGONFEBRUARY20

SamajwadiPartychiefAkhileshYadav(left),with fistfulsofriceandwheat, takesapledgetostandbyfarmers, inLucknowonMonday.Vishal Srivastav

New Delhi

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Vidyanagari, MIDC, Tal. Baramati, Dist. Pune –413133 Tel No: 02112 – 239140; 239160 Fax No:02112–239159 Website: www.vidyapratishthan.com;Email ID: vpbaramati@yahoo.co.in

Applications are invited from eligible candidates for thefollowing post:-

Name of the College Design. Nos of Post &Category

Vidya Pratishthan’sVasantrao Pawar LawCollege, Baramati

PrincipalAided

01(Open to All)

NOC for the post issued by Joint Director Higher EducationPune being Granted College. College is affiliated toSavitribai Phule Pune University, Pune.1. Educational Qualifications: Minimum Qualifications &

Pay-scale and Service conditions are as prescribed bythe UGC / State Govt. of Maharashtra and SavitribaiPhule Pune University, Pune.

2. Reserved category candidates should send one copy oftheir application to the Deputy Registrar, ReservationCell, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune.

3. Physically Handicapped & Women reservation isapplicable as per Government Norms.

4. Candidate should submit their API record & score asper the requirement by SPPU Pune. Appointment of thesaid post will be for a tenure of five years from the dateof appointment or upto the attainment ofsuperannuation whichever is earlier.

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6. TA & DA will not be paid for attending the interview.7. Applicant should apply and submit a hard copy of the

application form and resume with attested copies of allcertificates which should reach on the above mentionaddress within 15 days from the date of publication ofthis advertisement by post to the undersigned.Visit website – www.vidyapratishthan.com

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WANTED

VIDYA PRATISHTHAN

IN THE HIGH COURT OFJUDICATURE AT MADRAS

(Ordinary Original CivilJurisdiction)

O.P. No. 637 of 2012Ashok Surana …Petitioner

-Vs-Kavitha Jain …RespondentTo,Kavitha JainD/o. Late Mr. GajRaj Jain,R/o. C-484, Yojna Vihar, 1st Floor,New Delhi-110 092.New Address :House No.558, 3rd Floor,Vishwas Nagar,Pandav Road, New Delhi- 110 032.Subject: O.P No.637 of 2012 -Ashok Surana v Kavitha Jain-pending before the Hon’ble MadrasHigh Court, Chennai- Hearing on02.02.2022- Reg.Please take notice that the said casecame up for hearing on 10.01.2022and notice by paper publication wasordered. The case is now posted to02.02.2022.Kindly take notice and appear inperson or through counsel at 10:30am on 02.02.2022 before theHon’ble Madras High Court.

Sincerely,D.Geetha

Counsel for Petitioner

DELHICONFIDENTIAL

CRACKING THE WHIPSUPREMECOURTonMondayasked lawyers to “avoid” usingmobilephonesforattendinghearingsthroughvideoconferenc-ingandinsteaduse laptopsordesktops.Anotice issuedbythecourt'sRegistryalsoadvisedthemtouseastable Internetcon-nection, preferablywired to avoid anydisruption in the courtproceedingsandinconveniencetothejudges.Earlierintheday,Chief Justice of IndiaNVRamana,while hearingmatters, ex-pressedannoyance at the lawyersusingmobile phones to at-tendhearingsandsaid thecounselwerenotvisibleandthat itwasalsocausingaudio issues. “Listen,wecannothearyouandwecannothear thesecases like this.Whycan’tyouuse laptopordesktop,”theCJIaskedacounsel.Inanothercase,theCJIsaid,“Lawyersareappearing fromtheirmobilephonesandarenotvisible.Wemayhavetobanthismobilebusiness.”Hethentoldthecounselinthematter,“YouarenowpractisinginSCandap-pearregularly.Can’tyouaffordtohaveadesktoptoargue?”

TABLEAUX COUNTERTHEGOVERNMENTSofKerala,WestBengalandTamilNadu-allruledbyOpposition-havesaidthattheirtableauxfortheRepublic Day parade have been rejected.West Bengal ChiefMinisterMamataBanerjeeonSundaywrotetoPrimeMinisterNarendraModi on the issue, saying the state’s tableau paidhomage to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Incidentally, theCPWD’stableau,whichhasbeenselected,alsofeaturesBose.TheCentrehascounteredthesechargesbystatingthatanex-pertcommitteeselectsthetableaux,andof the56proposalsthisyear,only21havebeenselected. Ithighlightedthateachof these states have had their tableaux participate in previ-ousRepublicDaycelebrationsunderModias thePM.Keralahaditstableauxin2018and2021,TamilNaduhadoneinfiveoutofsixyears,except2018.WestBengal’stableauxwereonRajpath in2016,2017,2019and2021RepublicDayparades.

THE SIGNALAFTERTHEBJPannouncedChiefMinisterYogiAdityanathandDeputy Chief Minister Keshav PrasadMaurya as candidatesin the first list itself, party circles are abuzzwith speculationover Dinesh Sharma, the other Deputy CM. The names ofAdityanathandMauryawereannouncedfromGorakhpurandSirathu despite the constituencies going to polls in the sixthand fifth phases, respectively. Party leaders agreed that themovehaselevatedMaurya’spositionandheisnowbeingseenasaverysignificant figure,especiallyaftertheexitofanotherprominent OBC face, Swami PrasadMaurya. Keshav PrasadMauryaisalsofeaturedprominently inthecampaignvideos.Butthepartycadre,especiallyfromtheBrahmincommunity,arenowkeenlywaiting to seewhat thepartyhas in store forSharma,whowasalsoanMLClikeAdityanathandMaurya.

As BJP hits out,Nana Patole saysremarks notmeant for PM

MAYURAJANWALKARPANAJI, JANUARY17

WHILE THE BJP’s decision onwhetherornottogivepartytickettoUtpalParrikarmayonlybetwodaysaway,oppositionpartiesap-peartoberallyingbehindthesonof late defenceminister and for-merGoachiefministerManoharParrikar.AfterDelhiChiefMinisterand

AAP national convener ArvindKejriwalsaidhispartywouldwel-comeUtpal if hewished to jointhem, Shiv SenaMPSanjayRautonMonday said that all opposi-tionparties–AAP,Congress,TMCandGFP–must backUtpal if he

contests the February14 assem-blypolls as an Independent can-didate.“UtpalParrikarisbeingin-sulted... I amsure they (BJP)willhave togiveUtpal Parrikar (elec-tion)candidature.Weareallput-tingpressure.UtpalParrikarisnot.But thewaywehave all backedhim, the BJP is forced to thinkabouthimanditisthinkingabouthim inDelhi. But if that doesnothappen,ifUtpalParrikarcontestsasanIndependentthenallpoliti-

calpartiesmustforgettheirdiffer-ences andbackhim,” he said. “IfUtpal Parrikar contests as anIndependent... I propose all non-BJPparties... not fieldacandidateagainsthim!”hetweeted.GoaBJPpresident Sadanand Tanavadesaidthatthepartywillannouncethe names of 39 candidates onWednesday.He,however,refusedtocommentonRaut’sremark.TheAAPhasalreadydeclared

ValmikiNaikasitscandidatefromPanaji.Naik,however,saidhewillwithdrawhiscandidatureifUtpalwished to contest on an AAPticket. “LikeArvindjihas said,werespectManoharParrikar-ji.Ifhissonwants to joinourparty, he iswelcome,”saidNaik.

BEFOREBJP RELEASESGOALIST

MANOJCGNEWDELHI, JANUARY17

THEPOSSIBILITYof the returnofseniorUttarakhandleaderHarakSinghRawat,whowas expelledbytheBJPSunday,totheCongresshasdividedtheparty’sstateunit.Congress campaign commit-

teechiefHarishRawatissaidtobeopposedtothereinductionoftheformerBJPministerintotheparty,butasectionofCongress’scentralandstateleadershipispushingforit. Sources close toHarishRawat,formerUttarakhandCM, saidhehasconveyedhisviewtothecen-tral leadership but at the sametimehewouldnotpushhisopin-ionbeyondapoint, giventhathehas the responsibility to lead thepartytovictoryinthehill-state.Constant rumblings, sources

said,couldcreateaperceptionthatCongressisadividedhouse.“IftheCentral leadership still insists oninductinghim... then let themdoit. He (Harish Rawat) has toldthemwhat he had to,” a sourcesaid. “HarakRawat’s reinductionis not in the interest of theparty,but it is alsonot in the interest ofthe party if there are rumblingseveryday.Itdoesn’tlookgoodon

Harish-ji.” But sources inCongress’s central leadership in-sisted thatHarakRawat’s induc-tion is just amatter of time. “Itcouldbetomorrowaswell,”asen-ior leader said.There isnoclarityonwhether any other BJPMLAwouldjoinwithhim.SourcessaidoneBJPMLA,consideredclosetoHarakRawat, had reachedDelhiwithhimonSundaynightbutleftforDehradunafterameetingwithaseniorUnionminister.SourcessaidCLPleaderPritam

Singh,whodoesn’t share a verygoodequationwithHarishRawat,andAICC in-charge of the stateDevendraYadav are in favour ofre-inductingHarak Rawat,whoplayedamajor role indestabilis-

ing the Rawat government in2016.AndtheformerCMhasnotforgiven him for that. HarishRawat said, “WhathappenedonMarch 18 (2016)…peoplewhobroughtdown thegovernment...are a blot on parliamentarydemocracy...Thoseresponsibleforthat should apologise...” Onwhether he would welcomeHarakRawat,Rawatsaid:“Iwouldnot like to comment. Individualsarenotimportant.Partywill takeacollectivedecision,”hesaid.

HarakSinghRawat inNewDelhionMonday.Anil Sharma

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JANUARY17

SUPREME COURT onMondayexpressed dismay over thewayinwhich a judgment had beenwritten by Himachal PradeshHighCourtandsaid itmayhaveto return it for rewriting.Headinga two-judgebench,

JusticeKMJosephaskedSeniorAdvocate Nidhesh Gupta, whorepresentedtheappellant,whattheHighCourtwastryingtosay.

“Howdoweunderstandthis? Isthis Latin,” Justice Josephwon-deredtowhichGuptarespondedthat even he is unable to com-prehendthesame.The bench, also comprising

JusticePSNarasimha,saiditmayhave to return the judgment totheHC for rewriting. The seniorcounselthentoldthebenchthatit was a dispute over propertyand that he could explain fromthe trial court decision, whichwasveryclear,andfrompartsofthe High Court order that he

couldmake out. The court thenaskedhimtositwiththecounselfor the other side and see if themattercouldberesolvedamica-bly in twoweeks.This is not the first time that

the topcourthasexpresseddis-may over “incomprehensible”HC verdicts. In March 2021, atwo-judgebenchof JusticesDYChandrachud and M R ShahmadeclearitsannoyancewithaHimachal Pradesh High Courtjudgment and observed: “Weare at ourwit’s end. This is hap-

pening repeatedly.”Taking up an appeal filed by

State Bank of India against theNovember 27, 2020,HC verdict,Justice Chandrachud asked inHindi, “What is this judgmentthathasbeenwritten?”“Ididnotunderstand anything. There arelong,longsentences.Then,thereis an odd comma showing upsomewhere. I did not under-stand anything. I have starteddoubtingmy own understand-ing.... I had to use Tiger balm,”JusticeShahhadsaid.

ATTHEheartof theop-position toHarakSinghRawat’s return toCongress is the fact thatformerUttarakhandCMandseniorCongressleaderHarishRawathasnot forgivenhimfor top-plinghisgovernment in2016.Rawathasmade itclear thatHarakRawatwillhave toapologise forwhathehaddone.

BoneofcontentionE●EX

PLAINED

Uttarakhand Cong dividedover return of Harak Singh

Lucknow: Prime MinisterNarendraModiwillinteractwithover 10,000 BJP workers of hisLokSabhaconstituencyVaranasion Tuesday, just weeks beforethe state goes to elections. Theinteractionwillbeheldthrough

NaMoApp. Thiswill be the firsttimesincetheannouncementofelectionsthatthePrimeMinisterwill interactwithpartyworkersfrom his parliamentary con-stituency.ApartyleadersaidthePMmay give amessage to BJP

workersregardingthepollcam-paign. Sources in the BJP saidthat a similar format may betaken for planning interactionsof thePMandothersenior lead-erswithpartyworkers andvot-ersacross regions. ENS

PM to interact with 10k BJP workers from Varanasi

Opp rallies around Parrikar son

UtpalParrikar

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, JANUARY17

MAHARASHTRASTATECongresspresident Nana Patole’s state-mentthathecould“hitModi”hasset off awar of words betweentheCongressandtheBJP.TheBJPhas accused the Congress of in-dulgingin“politicsofterror”evenasPatole issuedastatementthatthemanhereferredtowassome-oneelsewiththesamesurname,andnotthePM.“Ihavebeeninpoliticsforthe

last30years.Infiveyears,apoliti-ciancanmakeenoughtoprovideforhisnextgeneration.Bybuild-ingschoolsandcolleges,theycanprovide for their future one ortwo generations. I have been inpoliticsforsolongyetIdon’townevenoneschoolnorhaveItakenany contracts. I help whoevercomestomeforhelp.That’swhy,IcanhitModiandabusehimandthat is the reasonwhy he cametocampaignagainstme,” Patolecan purportedly be heard in avideo where he is addressingpeople inBhandara.BJP’s Opposition leader in

state Assembly DevendraFadnavisaccusedtheCongressofindulginginthepoliticsof terror.“What isgoingoninCongress?...Shouldweaddress theCongressas a party which believes indemocracy or an organisationthatisspreadingterror?”hesaid.Patole, however, said the

man hewas referring to in thevideowas not PMModi but an-other person from his con-stituency with the same sur-name. “Theman I am referringtoisnotthePrimeMinister...”hesaidonMonday.

Top court on Himachal HC order: Is this Latin?

New Delhi: The flypast on theRepublic Daywill be the largestthatthecountryhasseentillnow,with 75 aircraft from the threeservicesparticipatingtomark75yearsof Independence.The Air Force will also pay

homage to its personnel andop-erationsforthe1971War,asIndiacommemorates 50 years of vic-tory over Pakistan. “The flypastthisyearwillbethegrandestandlargestwith75aircraft from IAF,ArmyandNavyflyingduringtheRepublicDayparade.ThisisinlinewiththeAzadikaAmritMahotsavcelebrations,” IAF PRO Wing

Commander IndranilNandisaid.AlongwiththeAirForcejets,itwillalso include aircraft of theNavyandArmy’saviationwing. ENS

With 75 aircraft, R-Day flypastthis year to be largest ever

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK8 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

RAJASTHAN MEDICAL EDUCATIONSOCIETY, JAIPUR

(DIRECTORATE OF MEDICAL EDUCATION)Govind Marg, Opp. Psychiatric Hospital, Jaipur

F.No.6(22)Raj-MES/Store/CT-Scan. PPP/2021/4865 Dated:11/01/22

Extension NoticeInviting Bid (NIB No. 09/2021-22)

The schedule of dates for E-Tender notice no F.No.6(22)Raj-MES/Store/CT-Scan. PPP/2021/ 4548-49 dated: 21.12.2021 (NoticeInviting Bid No.09/2021-22) for Turnkey Project For Supply, Installation,Operation & Maintenance Of ,64 Slice—CT —Scanner Machines AlongWith Providing Investigation Related Services On fixed 10% RevenueSharing & Single rate of Discount on CGHS Rates Basis on PPP-Mode(CT - Project) For Raj — MES Medical College Located at Bharatpur,Bhilwara, Pali Sikar And Chum is Extended as mentioned below:-

Above mentioned Detailed tender notice and documents can be seen onwebsite http://sppp.rajasthan.gov.in, http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in(UBN No. MES2122SLOB00080) Sd/-

Director,DIPR/C/524/2022 Raj-MES

S.No. Description Date Time

1. Document Download End Date 07-02-2022 06.00 PM

2. Bid submission End Date 07-02-2022 06.00 PM3. Submission of Demand, Draft/Banker

Cheque for Tender Fee, Processing Feeand Earnest Money (as per applicability)At the office of Director, RajasthanMedical Education Society, Jaipur.

08-02-2022 01.00 PM

4. Technical Bid Opening Date 08-02-2022 03.00 PM

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION KINDLY VISIT: www.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in or www.etenders.hry.nic.in6958/HRY

SR.No.

1

NAME OFBOARD/

CORP./AUTH

MUNICIPALCORPORATION

MANESAR

NAME OF WORKNOTICE TENDER

CONSTRUCTION OF WALKINGTRACK IN NAVADA STADIUM INMC MANESAR+ 1 NOS. WORKS

AMOUNT/EMD (APPROX.)

IN RUPEES

30.72 LACS

OPENING DATECLOSING DATE

(TIME)

14.01.202225.01.2022

WEBSITE OFTHE BOARDCORP./AUTHhttps://etenders.

hry.nic.in

NODAL OFFI-CER/CONTACTDETAILS/EMAIL

8851125640

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION KINDLY VISIT: www.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in or www.etenders.hry.nic.in6955/HRY

NAME OF BOARD/CORP./AUTH

THE BALLABGARH.COOP. MILKPRODCUERSUNION LTD

THE BALLABGARH.COOP. MILK PROD-CUERS UNION LTD

NAME OF WORK NOTICE TENDER

CONVERSION OF DIESEL GENERATING SET500 KVA ON DUAL FUEL SYSTEM (PNG&DIESEL)ALONG WITH LAYING GAS PIPE LINE50MM NB WITH GAS TRAIN ON TURN KEYBASIS AS PER SPECIFICATION

ALLOTMENT OF VITA MILK BOOTH ATSHRI ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE GOVT. MED-ICAL COLLEGE, CHHAINSA (FARIDABAD)

OPENING DATECLOSING DATE

(TIME)

16.01.202225.01.2022

15.01.202222.01.2022

AMOUNT/EMD(APPROX.) IN

RUPEES

50000/-

50000/-

WEBSITE OFTHE BOARDCORP./AUTH

www.vitaindia.org.in

www.vitaindia.org.in

NODALOFFICER/CONTACT

DETAILS/EMAIL

9968604725vitablb@gmail.com

9968604725vitablb@gmail.com

SR.NO.

1.

2.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION KINDLY VISIT: www.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in or www.etenders.hry.nic.in6953/HRY

NAME OF BOARD/CORP./AUTH

MUNICIPALCORPORATION

ROHTAK

MUNICIPALCORPORATION

ROHTAK

NAME OF WORK NOTICE TENDER

CONST. OF PUBLIC TOILET AT AMBEDKARPARK JHAJJAR CHUNGI, ROHTAK + 1 OTHERWORK

DEVELOPMENT WORKS IN GMSSECTOR-3, WARD NO. 9, ROHTAK + 6OTHER WORK

OPENING DATECLOSING DATE

(TIME)

13.01.202221.01.2022

14.01.202221.01.2022

AMOUNT/EMD(APPROX.) IN

RUPEES

18.09 LACS

51 LACS

WEBSITE OFTHE BOARDCORP./AUTH

www.etenders.hry.nic.in

www.etenders.hry.nic.in

NODALOFFICER/CONTACT

DETAILS/EMAIL

xenmcrohtak@gmail.com

xenmcrohtak@gmail.com

SR.NO.

1.

2.

ClassifiedsPPEERRSSOONNAALL

LLOOSSTT&&FFOOUUNNDD

PPUUBBLLIICCNNOOTTIICCEE

PUBLIC NOTICEUnder instructions from and on behalf ofmy client Sh. Jaipal S/o Late Sh. KeshoRam R/o H.no. 490, Gali No.5, A- Block,Gopal Nagar, Najafgarh, New Delhi.I hereby inform the General public that dueto serious disrespectful behaviour andother issues, my afore-mentioned clienthas disowned his son Sahil Sharma Aged23 years, S/o Sh. Jaipal, present R/o H.no.490, A-Block, Gopal Nagar, Najafgarhfrom all aspects of his life including hismovable, immovable properties and hisresidential house at afore-mentionedaddress,’

Sd/-Satish Dabas (Advocate)

Lawyers Chamber No. 749, DwarkaCourts, Sector-10 Dwarka,

New Delhi-110075

''IMPORTANT''Whilst care is taken prior toacceptance of advertisingcopy, it isnotpossible toverifyits contents. The IndianExpress (P) Limited cannot beheld responsible for suchcontents, nor for any loss ordamageincurredasaresultoftransactions with companies,associations or individualsadvertising in its newspapersor Publications. We thereforerecommend that readersmake necessary inquiriesbefore sending any monies orentering into any agreementswith advertisers or otherwiseacting on an advertisement inany manner whatsoever.

I,SIDDARTHSINGH, ADD-G-401,AMRAPALI PLATINUMSECTOR-119, NOIDA,GAUTAMBUDDHNAGARU.P-201301,changedmyMinor Sonname,SHRETHAKUMARSINGH toSHRESTHAKUMARSINGH,forall,futurepurposes.

0040599600-7

II ShovibhaaliasNain ShovibhaVijayendraSinghaliasNainShovibhaVijayendraVandanaalias ShovibhaNainD/oSh.Vijayender SinghR/oA-298, 2ndFloor, DerawalNagar, NearModel Town, Dr.MukherjeeNagar, NorthWestDelhi, Delhi-110009have changedmynametoShovibhaNain for allpurposes.

0040599568-4

II RavinderKumar S/oSh. ShivNarayanR/oH.No.6, Gali No.2,GautamColony, Narela, Delhi-110040have changed thenameofmyminor daughter fromDeepanshi toDeepanshiKumar for all purposes.

040599568-5

IItt is for general information thatI,SulakshanaYadav,D/oYatendraSinghYadav,R/o-RZ-25/209,Street.No-4, J-Block,West Sagarpur,NewDelhi-110046declare that themynamehasbeenwrongly-writtenasMsSulaxshanaYadav inofficial-recordofmyfather.Theactual-nameofmineaspermatriculationandother documents isMsSulakshanaYadav,whichmaybeamendedaccordingly.

0040599627-5

II,,YYaasshhiikkaa Salil D/o-Shri.RajanSalil R/o-R-68-A,Third Floor,Near-CommunityCenter,RameshPark,LaxmiNagar,Shakarpur,Delhi-110092,informthatmy,correct name isYashika,bothnameareoneandsameperson.

0040599638-4

II,,VViivveekkKumarGupta,S/oChunniLal Gupta,R/o-47A/2,GautamNagar,NewDelhi-110049,havechangedmyname toVivekGupta. 0040599627-4

II,,VViiddhhaannChandSamajpati,S/OAnant Samajpati,R/O J-1288,1300,Wali-Gali J-Block,Jahangirpuri,Delhi-110033,have changedmynameBidhanChander Samajpati.

0040599600-2

II,,SShhoobbhhaaRaniApgarwal,W/oMr.SatishAggarwal,R/o.C-50,South xtensionPart lechiaeusunder-1,SouthDelhi,Delhi-110049,have changedmynametoShobhaAggarwal,forall,futurepurposes.

0040599627-3

II,,SSaakksshhiiW/oRakeshKumarKhanna,R/oH.No-4,Sector-2,Radha-PuranEstate, PO-Krishna-Nagar,Mathura,havechangedmyname toRakhiKhanna. 0040599627-6

II,,RRoosshhnnii Barmi,D/o JaspalSingh,W/oAmanpreetSingh,R/o-D-110, FF,MansaroverGarden,Ramesh-NagarDelhi-110015,havechangedmyname toRoshniAmanpreet Singh.

0040599638-6

II,,RRIITTUUYADAV,D/oChanderjeetyadav,R/o-C-274,yadav-motormarket-Naharpur village,Rohini,sec-7,Delhi-85,informthat nameofmymother hasbeenwrongly-writtenasShanti Devi inmyCTETDocuments.the correct-mymother name isNirmalyadav.whichmaybeamendedaccordingly.

0040599603-7

II,,PPrraabbhhaa,,WW//oo--MMaannoojjPrasad,R/o-RC-159, ShankarVihar, KhoraColony,Ghaziabad, UP-201001,havechangedmyname,fromPrabhaKumari,to Prabha,forall,futurepurposes.

0040599627-7

II,,PPaawwaannKumar,S/oSh.OmParkashAgarwal,R/oC-502,M2K-VictoriaGarden,Azadpur-Metro Station,Azadpur. Delhi-110033.have changedmynametoPawanKumarAgarwal.

0040599600-1

II Jagpreet SinghS/o Jatinder PalSinghAnandR/oB-41, GroundFloor, VishnuGarden,NewDelhi-110018have changedmyname to Jagpreet SinghAnand

0040599577-1

II,,PPRRAADDEEEEPP S/OBABURAMR/O139,AGROHAKUNJ,SECTOR-13,ROHINI,DELHI-110085.HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOPARDEEPKUMAR.

0040599627-2

II,,NNoo-- 18007222M,NK-NavinSinghS/O-DiwanSingh, R/O-Gallagaon, P/O-Gallagaon,Tehsil- Lohaghat, District-Champawat (Uttrakhand) pin-262524. InmyService recordsnameofmywife hasbeenwronglymentionedasSmt.Sonu insteadof SonuBohra. Itneeds correction.Objectionsbe filed to concernedauthoritieswithin sevendays.

0020432805-1

II,,NNiirrmmaall KumarWalia,Nirmal KrAhluwalia, NirmalWalia,S/oKrishanKumarWalia,R/o-205-D, DDA-LIG Flats, Jhilmil, Delhi-110095,have changedmynametoNirmalAhluwalia.

0040599638-3

II,,NNaavvjjeeeett Singh,S/o JoginderSinghChhabra E36/13,1st-FloorRajouri-GardenDelhi-27,havechangedmynameNavjeetSinghChhabra. 0040599600-4

II,,MMoohhnniiMalhotraW/oParveenKumarKhatri R/o EK/905Shastri NagarDelhi inform thatMohniMalhotra/MoniaMalhotra andMonikaKhatribothnameareoneperson.

0040599600-3

II,,MMeeeennuuSahni,W/o LatePradeepSawhneyR/o-A-29, BharatApartment, S-1, 2nd-Floor,Rampuri,Ghaziabad, U.P.-201011,have changedmynametoMeenuSawhney.

0040599627-1

II,,MMaannoojj KumarMalhotraR/oD-109, GroundFloor, Sector-20,Noidahavechangedmyminordaughter’s name fromPALAKtoPALCHINMALHOTRA.

0040599570-1

II,,LLuuxxmmii Singhal,W/O-ShriArvind,R/O-227,Sri Nagar,Shakur Basti,Delhi-110034,inform that RenuSinghal andLuxmi Singhal both thenamesareone& the sameperson.

0040599638-1

II,,HHaarrmmaannSinghMehta,S/oTarlochanSinghMehtaR/o-A-85,Gali,No.4,EastNathuColonyShahdaraNand,Nagri Delhi-110093,changedmyname toHarmanMehta. 0040599600-9

II,,AAsshhookkKumar,S/oShri ThakurDass,R/oH.No.186,Sector-9,Gurgaon-122001,have changedmyname toAshokKumarShridhar for all futurepurposes. 0040599638-2

II,,AAiiyyeesshhaa Siddiqa,D/oMaqsoodAhmad,R/o.16/476-I,Gali.No.10,MilitaryRoad,BapaNagar, KarolBagh,NewDelhi-05,have changedmyname toAiyshaSiddiqa,for allpurposes. 0040599627-8

II,,AAIIEESSHHWWAARRYYAAANAND,D/ONIRAJANAND,H.NO-11/15, 2ND-FLOOR,WESTPATEL-NAGAR,NEWDELHI-110008, HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOAASHNAANAND, FORALLPURPOSES. 0040599638-5

II,, Zila SinghSagwal S/oShriKaramSinghR/oB2-68, FirstFloor, SafdarjungEnclave, NewDelhi have changedmynametoZile SinghSagwal

0070768930-1

II,, Vipin S/OGangaDharNautiyal, R/o 244/94, Gali No-3,School Block,MandawaliFazalpur, Delhi-110092, havechangedmynameandshallhereafter beKnownasVipinPrasad. 0070768932-1

II,, Vinit S/ORajeev, R/o 240,Qumaspur, Sonipat, Haryana-131021. Declare thatNameofMyFather hasbeenwronglywrittenasRajivAntil inmy10thClassCertificateNo-1534766,that nameofmy father hasbeenwronglywrittenasRajeevAntil inmy12thClassCertificateNo- 1147924. Theactual nameofMyFather isRajeev,whichmaybeamendedaccordingly.

0070768934-1

II,,HHiitthheerrttoo knownasGaurav,sonof,Shri Kamaljit,residingat,House.No.10,VillageMaili,Tehsil-Garhshankar,Distt.Hoshiarpur Punjab-146102,have changedmynameandshall hereafter be knownasGauravKumar. 0040599603-8

II,, VineetaRajput/VineetaAroraW/oManoj Rajput, R/o 1672/2,Govindpuri Extn. Kalkaji havechangedmyname toVineetaAroraRajput 0070768929-1

II,, TARUN, S/o LALITCHAKARVARTI, R/O-H.No-217-R,Model Town, Rewari,Haryana-123401HaveChangedmyname toTARUNKUMAR forall purposes. 0070768951-1

II,, SubhashS/oHarkishanMalik,R/oRZC-16,Top-FloorGali,No.4,Syndicate Enclave, Dabri,Delhi-110045, changedmyname toSubhashMalik.

0040599600-8

II,, ShubhamKumaraliasShubhamS/OSanjayKumar,R/oCk 39/66, ChowkKundiGarhTola, Varanasi, UttarPradesh-221001, have changedmynameandshall hereafterbeKnownasVibhashKhattri.

0070768933-1

II,, SaurabS/oYashbir Khari R/o151, Village, Sultanpur, NewDelhi-110030,have changedmyname toSaurabKhari for allpurposes. 0040599600-10

II,, Rajesh Jindal S/o-HemRajGupta, R/oB-1/551 JanakPuri,NewDelhi-110058, havechangedmyname toRajeshKumarGupta. 0040599638-8

II,, Prabhat Rathi S/ORamlal LalMaheshwari, R/oHouseNumber-3, BansalNagar,Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh-282001, have changedmynameandshall hereafter beKnownasPrabhatKumarMaheshwari. 0070768938-1

II,,MannuSachanS/ODhyanChandraSachan, R/oColonyNo- Type 2-8, Hospital Colony,HAMIRPUR, Uttar Pradesh-210301, have changedmynameandshall hereafter beKnownasDivyamSachan.

0070768939-1

II,, KiranBalaD/O, S.S Bisht R/o139- ERavindraGarden, Sector-E, Aliganj, Bakshi KaTalab,Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh-226024. have changedmynameandshall hereafter beKnownasSonuSurendraSingh

0070768937-1

II,, Kapil Seth S/oNareshChandSethResidence-868, Sector-5,Vaishali Ghaziabad, havechangedmynameKapil KumarNareshSeth toKapil Seth for allfuturepurposes. Bothnamesbelong to the sameperson.

0070768961-1

II,, HakeemuddeenAnsari S/OSheikhSamad, R/oVillageHardaspur, Post Tarawa,Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh-276123, have changedmynameandshall hereafter beKnownasHakeemuddinAnsari.

0070768935-1

II,, DeepakKumarSinghS/OHarpalSingh, R/o 538K / 1331, SitapurRoad, Sri Puram, Triveni Nagar-ll,NiralaNagar, Lucknow,UttarPradesh- 226020, have changedmynameandshall hereafter beKnownasDeebekHarpal Singh.

0070768936-1

II,, AvishekVikki S/o Late.Shankar SahaR/o-A-68-69,Flat.No-303, Nanhey-Park,UttamNagar,ND-59,havechangedmyname toAbhishekSaha,for all futurepurposes.

0040599572-1

II,, AKASHDEEPSINGH, S/O.JAGPREETSINGH,ADD-A-1/8,FIRST-FLOORKRISHNANAGAR,EASTDELHI110051,Changedmyname toAKASHDEEPSINGHWADHWA,permanently. 0040599600-6

I,TEKCHANDGUPTA,S/O.RAMGOPALGUPTA,H.NO,9DAYANAND-BLOCKGALINO,1SHAKARPUR,EASTDELHI-110092. Changedmyname toANILKUMARGUPTA,permanently. 0040599600-5

NNoottiiccee is herebygiven thatHFormNo.0000366dt 15/3/17 forRs.134000/-, issuedbyM/sAkshita International,Merut toM/sMal ChandAjit Kumar,Delhi, is lost. If found, pleaseinformatM/sMal ChandAjitKumar, 10West Sadar ThanaRoad,Delhi-06 0040599569-1

II,,RRaajj BalaW/oRameshKumar,R/oKhasraNo-15/5Village-KamalpurMazraBurari,Delhi-110084,have lostallmyPropertyDocumentNo-IN-DL114896714702680.FinderContact.No-9540032266,9212653275. 0040599603-10

II,, ShashankaBhide, S/OLate Sri.G.N. Bhide, R/O J24,IndraprasthaApts, Plot 114,I.P.Extn, Delhi-110092have lostmyoriginal FlatAllotmentLetter andPossession Letterrelating tomy flat. If found,Please return at aboveaddress. 0040599568-3

II,,SShhyyaammKhanna,S/OP.K.Khanna,Have Lost theOriginal-ProperttyDocumentsPlot.No-1329,Pocket-5,Sector-34,Rohini,Delhi InCase FoundPleaseContact.No-9210338007.

0040599603-9

PUBLIC NOTICEIt if for general public information thatmy clients Mr. Shakti Narayan Sharma,Mr. Vikramaditya, Mr. TribhuvanNarayan Sharma and Ms. PurnimaSharma are the co-sharers of theproperty addressed A-46, DayanandColony, Lajpat Nagar IV, Delh-110024for their mother’s share of the aforesaidproperty and that without their consentor acknowledgement, any third partyright(s) or interest(s) created orintended would amount to civil andcriminal proceedings against the partiesand the parties being involved would beat their own risk.

Sd/-Usha Kaushik

AdvocateCh. No. 344, Patiala House

New Delhi-110001

PUBLIC NOTICEIt is notified for the information of generalpublic that my client Banwari Lal son of LateShri Kishan Lal resident of Flat No. 143, Block5, DDA Flats Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019 hasdisowned his son namely Shri Neraj Rajput,his wife namely Smt. Renu Rajput, hisdaughter Ms. Shrishti Rajput and his sonnamely Master Abhishek Rajput due to hisillegal deeds from all his movable &immovable properties w.e.f. today. That myclient shall has no relation with the son inFuture whatsoever.

Sd/-ATUL GUPTA

AdvocateCHAMBER NO. 369, THIRD FLOOR,

LAWYER’S BLOCK,SAKET COURT COMPLEX,

NEW DELHI-110017

PUBLIC NOTICEBe it known to all that my clients KrishanKumar Gupta & Bharat Bhushan Guptaboth S/o Late Girish Chand Gupta R/oD-68, Sudershan Park, New Delhi-110015, have declared that their parentsnamely Girish Chand Gupta andResham Devi Gupta expired on13.09.2021 & 15.12.2021 respectivelyand my clients are only legal heirs oftheir parents, there is no any legal heirexcept my clients. Anybody havingobjection, so raise their claim with proofwithin 7 days from the publication of thispublic notice.

Sd/-POOJA GUPTA (ADVOCATE)

TP-BLOCK, OFFICE NO.20, DDAMARKET, PITAMPURA, DELHI

PUBLIC NOTICEI Suchismita Dhar, W/o. ParimalChandra Dhar, R/o. Flat no. F703,Rajasthan apartment , Sector-4, PlotNo. 36, Dwarka, New Delhi-110078,have lost all original propertydocuments of my son’s (Aditya Dhar) i.eoriginal sale deed, conveyance deed,allotment later, possession later, etc ofF703, Rajasthan apartment, Sector-4,Plot No. 36, Dwarka , New Delhi-110078 and document of Bank loan’sallongwith other necessary documentsof bank, finders may contact at aboveaddress. Suchismita Dhar, W/o.Parimal Channdra Dhar, R/o. Flat no.F703, Rajasthan apartment, Sector-4,Plot No. 36, Dwarka, New Delhi-110078, Mob.no: 9818782724

Our clients (1) Sh. Devender Kumar VermaS/o Shri Dayanand Verma, and (2) Smt.DarshanVerma W/o Sh. Devender KumarVerma, both R/o H. No.1983, Pandav Road,Near Swaran Cinema, Bhola Nath Nagar,Shahdara, Delhi-110032, hereby disown theirSon Sh. Deepak Verma S/o Sh. DevenderKumar Verma and their daughter in Law Smt.Surbhi Verma W/o Sh. Deepak Verma anddebar them from inheriting any movableorimmovable property belonging to our clients.Any one dealing with the aforesaid Son anddaughter in law of our clients shall be doing soat his own risk and Consequences.

Madhur Arora, AdvocateOffice: 128-A,(R.S.Block), Street No.14,Bhola Nath Nagar, Shahdara, Delhi-32

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICEMy clients Shri Charan Singh son of late Sh.Maman Singh Tokas and Mrs. SantoshKumar wife of Shri Charan Singh, bothresidents of House No.1608, Village Munirka,South West Delhi, New Delhi-110067 hasdisowned/debarred their son Manoj Kumarand his wife Mrs. Nisha from their allmoveable & immoveable properties and havealso severed all connections & relations withthem.If anybody deals with them in respect ofproperties of my clients, shall be doing so athis/her/their own risks, costs and expenses.My clients will not be responsible for thesame.

Sd/-Devinder Singh Chauhan

AdvocateLawyers Chamber No. 235

Patiala House CourtsNew Delhi-110001

PUBLIC NOTICEGeneral Public is hereby informed thatmy client Sh. Rajpal Singh S/o Late Pt.Suraj Bhan and his wife Goma Deviboth R/o A55, Mandir Mohalla,Samaypur, Delhi -110042 have put anend to all their relations with their sonSh. Deepak Kumar due to his badhabits. Both of my abovenamed clientshave also disowned and debarred hissaid son from all their movable andimmovable properties. Anybody dealingwith Sh. Deepak Kumar will do so athis/her/their own risk, cost andconsequences and my clients will notbe responsible for any act, deed ordealing done by Sh. Deepak Kumar.

Sd/-AJAY ATRI

AdvocateEN NO D/1445/2004

Ch. No. B-74, B.G.S. BlockTis Hazari Courts, Delhi-110054

ABHISHEKANGADRANCHI, JANUARY17

A15-YEAR-OLDgirlwasallegedlyabducted and gang-raped bythreemeninacarwhileshe,alongwithtwootherteengirls,wereonanearly-morningjoginRanchionSunday,policesaidonMonday.Police said a speeding car

startedfollowingthethreeminorgirls, and one of themwas kid-napped and taken to a desertedspotandgang-raped.Thegirlwaslater spottedby apasserby,whoinformedthepolice.“The girlswere out for a run

(when) a car,with threepersonsinit,startedchasingthem.Twoofthegirlsescapedbutthethirdfelldown.Theaccusedabductedher,”anofficersaid.Thethreesuspectshavebeen

arrested,ofwhomoneisbelievedtohave known the girl andmayhavebeen stalkingher for sometime,apolicesourcesaid.“An evening before the inci-

dent,thevictimhadgonetoeatata local shop and one of the ac-cusedwasstalkingherthere,too,”the source said. “Thisman, agedaround21years, hired a cabandthedriver...Inthecar,theytoldthegirlthattheywerestalkingherforthe last fewdays and that sinceshe had rejected one of the ac-cusedman's advances, shewasabducted.”The police have registered a

case and an officer said the ac-cusedwere held on the basis ofCCTVfootage.

Out for a jog,Ranchi teen girlabducted, rapedin car, say police

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK 9WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

MEN VERSUS BULL — THE TAME STORYBull tamersattempttosubdueachargingbullduringAlanganallur Jallikattu, inMaduraionMonday.Around700bullswerereleased intothearena,andaround300tamers,whohadregisteredonlinetoparticipate, sought totamethebullsat theevent.Theownerof thebullbestatdodgingandthebest tamerat thecompetitionwonacareach. PTI

Arrested trio could beinvolved with earlierapp too: cops to court

HATEAPPCASE

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, JANUARY17

THE MUMBAI police onMonday told a local court thatbased on their prima facie in-vestigation, it appears that thethreeaccusedarrested inahateapp case were also involved inasimilarappearlier.Theearlierapp was operational on theopen-source platform Githubtill July 2021, and also targetedMuslimwomen.Policesaidthiswhileoppos-

ing the bail application of thethreeaccusedbeforetheBandraMagistrate court.The court heard the argu-

ments by lawyers of the threeaccused and posted thematterfor Tuesdaywhen it is likely topass onorder on the bail appli-cations.Shweta Singh (18), Mayank

Rawat (21) and Vishal Jha (21)are the three accused arrestedby the Mumbai police in con-nection with the hate app.Earlier, Jha and Rawat tested

positiveforcoronaviusinfectionand were being treated at aCovid care centre in the Kalinaarea.Opposingtheirbail applica-

tion, the Mumbai police alsosaid the triowere in touchwitheachotherthroughTwitterandInstagram groups. They usedVPN accounts which showedtheir location to be outside thecountry.The police said that Twitter

had, in the past, deleted socialmedia accounts used by thethree accusedover someof thecontent posted by them.Claimingthat theaccusedusedTwitter handles with Sikhnames to target Muslimwomen, the police said they-were trying to find out the rea-sonbehind the same.Arguing for Jha, advocate

ShivamDeshmukh said hehadnotcreatedtheappandhis rolewas limited to only usingTwitter handles connected totheapp.He further argued thathis client had no criminal an-tecedents.

ARUNJANARDHANANCHENNAI, JANUARY17

AMINORgirlwhowentmissingfromavillageinDharmapuridis-trict of Tamil Nadu in October2020was found livingwith her35-year-oldmale friendwhomshemetthroughInstagramafteramassivesearchbystatepolicein-volving visits tomultiple statesandexaminationofCCTVfootageatseveral locations.Thepolice said the twoman-

aged to evade the search teamsuntillastweekwhentheywerefi-nally caught in Vellore. A policeteamtookthegirlintocustodyonSaturdayandarrestedher friend– a fitness trainer allegedly in-volvedinseveraltheftcases.Deputy Superintendent of

PoliceSVinodhsaidthegirl's fa-ther had filed amissing personcase in October 2020. “Shewas16then.Thecasestatedthathermale friendhadkidnappedher.But we had no clue about theirwhereabouts for a long time asthey left no evidence. She be-friendedhimthroughInstagrambut she never used the cell-phoneagainaftershelefthome.The only evidence was CCTVfootage of him taking her in amotorcycle when she wentmissing,” theDSPsaid.“Tracing his journey with

thegirlonamotorcycle,ourpo-lice teams visited Bangalore,Telangana and Kerala. But wewerealwaysadayortwolateashekeptmoving fromoneplaceto another,” Vinodh said.As therewas noprogress in

theprobe, thegirl's father fileda petition in Madras HighCourt. The court was briefedabout the complex nature ofthe case, he said.The police hoped to track

him through his Aadhaar. Theywere hopeful that he wouldhavetousetheidentitypapertotake a new cell number. “Thatwas whenwe got informationthat he had opened a new ac-countwithICICIBankinTirupati(Andhra Pradesh). But wemissed him again as he leftTirupati before we reachedthere,”Vinodhsaid.Finally, theygotacrucial tip-

off that the two were inTelangana's Ranga Reddy dis-trict. A police team, headed bySubInspectorSundaramoorthy,visitedtheplacebutgottoknowthatthetwohadleftforChennaia day before. “The policelaunchedamassivesearchoper-ation. About 150 people werequestioned,andCCTVfootageofseverallocationswereexaminedbeforetheyweretakenintocus-tody fromVellore on Saturday,”Vinodhsaid.

SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,JANUARY17

ALOCALcriminalinKottayamab-ducted a youth, thrashedhim todeath, and thencarriedhisbodyto the police stationwhere heconfessedtohiscrime,policesaid.Theaccused,identifiedasJomonJose,40,hasbeenarrested.According to police, Jose, a

history-sheeter, abducted ShanBabu, 19, from his home inVimalagiri, Kottayam, at about9.30 pm on Sunday. Jose and afewotherscameinanauto-rick-shaw and forcibly took Shanaway,saidpolice.Shan'smother,Thressiamma, said she filed a

police complaint at 1.30 am,Monday.Hours later, at 3.30 am, Jose

reportedly turned up atKottayamEast Police Station, inthe heart of the city, with theyouth's body. He left the bodyoutside,wokeupthepolicemenon duty, and told them he hadkilled theyouth,police said.On November 29 last year,

Jose was charged under theKerala Anti-Social Activities(Prevention) Act (KAAPA) andbannedfromenteringKottayamdistrictforoneyear.However,hemoved an appeal before theKAAPA advisory board, sayingthat he was the only earningmemberinhisfamily.Theboardruledinhisfavour,saidKottayam

Superintendent of Police (SP)ShilpaD.“After the KAAPA advisory

board lifted his externment,Jose returned to the districtearly this month. But he hadlosthisassociates torivalgangs.Hecommittedthecrimeto ter-rorise his rivals and regain lostground,’’ said the SP.“HeabductedShantogetde-

tails of his rival gang, as he sus-pectedthatShanwasclosetori-val gang leader Sooryan. HeassaultedShanandbroughthimtothepolicestation;heclaimedthat hedidnotwant to kill him.Shanhadlostconsciousness.Weare investigatingwhether Shanwas involved in any case; wehaven’tcomeacrossanythingso

far,” said theSP.The victim’s mother,

Thressiamma,allegedpolicelax-ity in tracking down her son.“After my son was abducted, Icomplainedtothepoliceat1.30amonMonday. They promisedto find him and assured thatnothingwouldhappen tohim...Why is the government allow-ing such criminals to movefreely?Willthegovernmentgivebackmyson,’’ shesaid.Thiruvanchoor

Radhakrishnan, Congress MLAfromKottayamandformerstatehomeminister, blamed thepo-lice for the incident. “He (Jose)should have been detained forat least six months as perSection3ofKAAPA. Instead,po-

lice invoked only Section 15 ofKAAPA,which envisages that acriminal should be kept awayfrom a particular location (inthiscaseKottayamdistrict) forayear. There is a serious lapseonthepartof theIntelligencewingof the police, which failed tomonitor the criminal onhis re-turn,” he said.Opposition leader V D

Satheesan said the incident re-flectedthelaw-and-ordersitua-tion inKerala. “Goonsandcrim-inalsareroamingfreelyaspoliceare controlled by CPI(M) areacommittees. Thegovernment isharbouring criminals; the soleresponsibilityforthecurrentsit-uation lies with Chief MinisterPinarayiVijayan,”hesaid.

Local goon kills youth, goes to police station with bodyKERALA

Centre cites Covid-19 risk, tells SCcan’t let plea to allow Parsi last ritesEXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JANUARY17

CITINGRISK of transmission ofcoronavirus, the Centre has toldSupremeCourt that itwillnotbepermissible to alter the standardoperatingprocedure(SOP)fordis-posal of bodies of Covid-19 vic-timstoallowtheParsiwayofdis-posing their dead, which is bylettingcorpsesdecayintheopen.The Union HealthMinistry

saidthisinanaffidavitfiledinthetopcourt.The affidavitwas filed in re-

sponsetoapleabytheSuratParsiPanchayatBoard,seekingpermis-siontoperform‘Dokhmenashini’,or last rites in Dokhmas of its

memberswhodiedduetoCovid19,aspertheirreligiouspractices.Theministry pointed out that ithad, in consultation with the

Indian Council for MedicalResearch (ICMR), issued guide-lines for disposal of bodies ofCovid-positivepersons.“The basic element of these

guidelines is that the deadbodywill be fully covered andnot ex-posedsothatpeoplewhoarehan-dling thedeadbody,whichmayormaynot include familymem-bers,must not come in contactwithbodily fluids or secretions,”it said. “Adeadbodywill becon-sidered as an inanimate surfaceand secretions fromorificeswillcarry infected cells andwill re-main smeared on the body sur-faces after death,” the affidavitpointed out. The pleawas filedagainst the July 23, 2021 judg-mentofGujaratHighCourt.

ACCORDINGTOscientificevidence, theviruscansurviveonadeadbody,inbodily fluids, secre-tionsandmoist cellsofthebody foruptoninedays, according to theaf-fidavit filedby theCentrein theapexcourt.

Whylettingbodiesdecayis riskyE●EX

PLAINED

SOFIAHSANNEWDELHI, JANUARY17

THECENTREonMondaytoldtheDelhi High Court that it wouldneedsometimetoformulateandput a clear standonmarital rapebefore it in response to the casechallenging Exception 2 in IPCSection 375 that protectsmen,whohaveforcednon-consensualsexual intercourse with theirwives, fromcriminalprosecutionunderSection376IPC.“We have to formulate our

stand and place a consideratestand before your lordships.Consideringthatitisa2015matter,ifyourlordshipscangrantusarea-sonabletime.Thismightneedalit-tle consultation,” submittedSolicitorGeneralTusharMehtabe-forethedivisionbenchof Justices

RajivShakdherandCHariShankar.Mehtahad lastweekmadea

similar request before the court,which has decided to continuewithhearingtheargumentsinthecase. Thecourthasbeenhearingthematter,whichhas remainedpendingformanyyearsnow,onadaily basis since lastweek. TheCentreinitsearlierresponse,filedin2017,hadopposedthepetitions.InresponsetoMehta’ssubmis-

sionsMonday,thecourtsaidsinceargumentsinthecasehavestarted,itwouldliketoconcludethemat-ter. However,Mehta submittedthat filingof “a less discussedorconsulted stand”by thegovern-mentmaynotbeappropriate.“Wewillallowallothercounsel

tofinishwhichwillgiveyoualittlemoretime.Letmefinishwithwhatthecounselwhoareready,letthemarguewhateverhas tobeargued,

youcomeback,wewill thende-cidehowmuch time togiveyouthen,” thecourt toldMehta. “Inamatterlikethis,they[Centre]haveto inprinciple say ‘Yes’or ‘No’be-causeiftheydon’t,howevermuchwemaydeliberate, this isnotgo-ingtocometoanend,”itsaid.Italsosaidthattherearesome

matters“forwhateverreasons”thecourtultimatelydecides“onewayorother”andthat ishowtheygetresolved.Submittingthattherehastobeaconsultativeandconsideredview,Mehtasubmitted, “In facta‘yes’or ‘no’ is theendproductof aconsultativeprocess.Iamseekingareasonabletimeconsideringsev-eralinterveningfactors.”Thecourthadlastweeksaidit

willnotwaitfortheoutcomeofthegovernment’s“comprehensiveex-ercisetomakeamendmentsinthecriminallaws”asthatconsultative

processwouldtakeseveralyears.Statingthatwhat“mayappear

tobemaritalrape”toawife“maynotappearso toothers”, thecen-tralgovernmentin2017hadsub-mittedthatstrikingdowntheex-ception “may destabilise theinstitutionofmarriageapartfrombeinganeasytoolforharassingthehusbands”.Ithadcitedthe“risingmisuseof Section498Aof IPC”—crueltybyhusbandorhusband’srelative against a woman – toshowhowlawsdealingwithvio-lenceagainstwomencanbemis-used“forharassingthehusbands”.Senior Advocate Rajshekhar

Rao,anamicuscuriae inthecase,onMondayresumedsubmissionof arguments in the case. JusticeShankaraskedRaotoaddressthecourt onwhether there are anycourtdecisionswherethestatutehas said that an act is not an of-

fence and samehasbeen struckdownbythecourt.“Wehavecaseslike377where theactwasanof-fence, which has been struckdown... Iwant to knowwhetherweare in a tabula rasahere or isthereanyprecedentinthepastsothatweget someguidelinehowcourtshavelookedatsuchasitu-ationwhere the statutedoesnotcategoriseitasaparticularoffenceand ithasbeenstruckdownbyacourt,”saidJusticeShankar.Hesaidhefeelsitisnotthatthe

“exceptioniscarvingoutadiffer-encebetweenamarriedwomanand unmarriedwoman.... (It) iscarvingoutadifferencebetweenanactofsexualintercourse,com-mittedwithoutthewillingnessorconsent of the woman, beingcommittedwithin the parame-tersofamaritalrelationshipandanon-maritalrelationship.”

CHANDIGARH

AAPmovesHCagainstmayoralpoll resultChandigarh: The AAP'sMayoral candidate, AnjuKatyal, along with twoothers councilors, havemoved the Punjab andHaryanaHighCourt,chal-lenging the ChandigarhMayoral poll results. Thematter will come up forhearing before the HighCourt on January 19. Thepetitioners—AnjuKatyal,Prem Lata and RamChander Yadav — havesought directions fromthe court to declare theelection results forChandigarhMayor’spostillegal,andalsodirectionsto the State ElectionCommissioner,MunicipalCorporation, and otherofficialstoholdfreshelec-tions for thepost. ENS

NEWDELHI

NCPCRseeksactiononfatwasNewDelhi: TheNationalCommissionforProtectionof Child Rights has askedtheUttarPradeshgovern-ment to “examine’’ and“investigate’’fatwasbytheDarulUloomDeobandoneducation, adoption andotherissuesrelatedtochil-dren, sayingmany of theIslamicseminary'srulingsareincontraventionoftheJuvenile Justice Act. TheNCPCR letter, sent toDistrict MagistrateSahranpuraswellastotheUP Chief Secretary andDGP, is based on a com-plaint it received againstthe Darul UloomDeoband’s website and“unlawfulandmisleadingfatwas” being issued bythem. ENS

TRIPURA

5injuredinclashover killingcowAgartala: Five people, in-cluding a BSF trooper,were injured in a clashbetween BSF personneland villagers over theslaughter of a cow inSepahijala district, policesaid. They said the clasherupted at TukkarChowmuhani village inMatinagar, 50 km fromAgartala, after some vil-lagers allegedly slaugh-tered a cow in an openfield.TheBSFtrooperwasadmitted to the GovindBallabh Pant (GBP)Hospital in Agartala. Theother injured were dis-charged after treatmentatalocalhospital, thepo-liceadded. ENS

KERALA

PinarayiurgedtofreezeSilverLineThiruvananthapuram: Agroup of developmentprofessionals andwriters,someof themknown fortheir Left leanings, hasurged Kerala ChiefMinister Pinarayi Vijayantoputonholdhisgovern-ment'sdecisiontoproceedwith the SilverLine high-speedrailcorridorproject.Inanopenletter,thesigna-toriessaidcitizenshavetheright to know about theproject before it is givenago-ahead. They under-lined as areas of concernthestate’sfragilepublicfi-nanceandincreasingeco-logicalvulnerability. ENS

BRIEFLY

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JANUARY17

THESUPREMECourtonMondayupheld the National CompanyLawAppellate Tribunal (NCLAT)orderwindingupDevas(DigitallyEnhanced Video and AudioServices) Multimedia PrivateLimited,whichinassociationwithISRO's space arm AntrixCorporation aimed to delivervideo,multimedia and informa-tionservicesviasatellitetomobilereceivers in vehicles andmobilephonesacrossIndia.Thecourtstatedthatitisacase

of “fraud of a hugemagnitudewhich cannot bebrushedunderthecarpet,asaprivatelis(suit)”.A bench of Justices Hemant

GuptaandVRamasubramaniandismissed the appeal filed byDevas. The court stated that the“findingof theTribunal, (a) thata public largessewas doled outinfavourofDevas, incontraven-tionof thepublicpolicyinIndia;(b) that Devas enticedAntrix/ISROtoenterintoanMoUfollowed by an Agreement bypromisingtoprovidesomethingthatwasnot inexistenceat thattime and which did not comeintoexistenceevenlater;(c)thatthe licensesandapprovalswereforcompletelydifferentservices;and (d) that theservicesofferedwere not within the scope ofSATCOMPolicy etc. are actuallyborneoutbyrecords”.Writingforthebench,Justice

Ramasubramanian said, “If theseeds of the commercial rela-tionship between Antrix andDevas were a product of fraudperpetratedbyDevas,everypartof the plant that grew out ofthose seeds, such as theAgreement,thedisputes,arbitralawards,etc.,areall infectedwiththepoisonof fraud”.TheNational Company Law

Tribunalhadorderedwindingup

ofDevasonMay25,2021onape-titionbyAntrix.ThiswasaffirmedbyNCLATonSeptember8,2021.In arbitral proceedings, the

International Chamber ofCommerce(ICC)ArbitralTribunalpassedanawardonSeptember9,2015directingAntrixtopayDevas$562.5millionwithsimpleinter-estat18%perannum.Devascontendedinitsappeal

before SC that the actualmotivebehindAntrixseekingwindingupofDevaswas todepriveDevasofthe ICCTribunal award, and thatitwouldsendawrongmessagetointernationalinvestors.Theapexcourtsaiditfoundno

merit intheargument.The judgement said that “a

productoffraudisinconflictwiththe public policy of any countryincludingIndia.Thebasicnotionsofmoralityandjusticearealwaysin conflictwith fraud andhencethe motive behind the actionbroughtbythevictimoffraudcanneverstandasanimpediment.”The top court said it doesnot

know if the action of Antrix inseekingwindingupofDevasmaysend a wrong message to thecommunity of investors, butadded that “allowingDevas andits shareholders to reapbenefitsof their fraudulent actionmayneverthelesssendanotherwrongmessage… that by adoptingfraudulentmeans andbybring-ing into India an investment in asumofRs579crore,theinvestorscanhopetogettensofthousandsofcrores,evenaftersiphoningoffRs488crore”.Devashadmanaged tobring

investment of Rs 579 crore intoIndia, but Rs 488 crorewas latertakenoutsidethecountryforset-tingupsubsidiaryintheUS.The apex court didnot agree

withDevas'ssubmissionthattheFIRbyCBIforoffencespunishableunder Section 420, read withSection120BIPC,hasnotyetbeentakentoitslogicalend.

DEBRAJDEBAGARTALA, JANUARY17

THELOCALadministrationinthestate capital region onMondayreleased20peopledetainedun-der the Arunachal PradeshUnlawful Activities PreventionAct, 2014.The detentionwasmade on

Friday during a 36-hour bandhcalled by the All Nyishi YouthAssociation(ANYA),ayouthout-fitrepresentingthestate’sNyishitribe,atthestate’scapitalregion,including Itanagar, Nagarlagunandadjoiningareas.On Monday, ANYA leaders

said they have suspended aplanned 48-hour strike in thecapital region in protest, de-manding release of their de-tainedmembers.Addressing the media on

Mondayevening,CapitalDeputyCollectorTaloPotomsaidyouthsshould discuss problemswiththe government instead of car-rying out bandhs. “Sometimeswedon’t know things (issues atstake), and bandh calls are is-sued,” he said. “The public suf-fers (as a result) more than theadministration. Bandh calls areunconstitutional.Nooneshould

entertainbandhcalls.”Heappealedpeopletocoop-

eratewiththeadministrationtoavoid hassles such as blockinginternet services and othermeansof communication.Reacting to the release of

ANYA supporters and leaders,theorganisation’sgeneralsecre-tary,BengiaTada,toldTheIndianExpress that the 48-hour bandhcalled by them in protest hasbeen suspended. “Our support-ers were released.Wewill de-cide our next court of action inour executive body meetinglater,”hesaid.While releasing the de-

tainees,Potomsaidtheywillnotparticipate in bandhs in futureandwill work for developmentof thesociety.Earlier, in a video that

emergedonsocialmedia,Potom,surrounded by the soon-to-be-released detainees, was heardpurportedly saying: “We ob-servedwisdom,strengthofmindand positive mindset amongthem during interaction. WehopetheywilldevelopNyishiso-cietyaheadandwouldn'tpartic-ipate in bandhs. In future, theywillnotparticipateinstrike;theypromisedtheywilldogoodworkfor thesociety…”

SCupholdsNCLAT order towind upDevasFraudof ahugemagnitudethatcan’tbebrushedundercarpet, sayscourt

20 protesters detained underArunachal UAPA released

TRIBALOUTFITSUSPENDSPROTESTSTIR

Marital rape: Centre seeks time to formulate stand

Ujjain: Houses of 3 sellingbanned kite string razedday after woman’s deathIRAMSIDDIQUEBHOPAL, JANUARY17

UJJAINDISTRICT administrationhas demolished three “illegal”houses, days after police bookedtheir owners for selling bannedChinese kite string. The demoli-tionwas carriedout at short no-tice on Sunday, a day after ChiefMinister Shivraj SinghChouhantook note of the death of a 20-year-old woman and orderedstrict actionagainst those sellingthe“deadlykitestrings”.Although links between the

ownersofthedemolishedhousesandthedeathwerenot immedi-atelyclear,districtauthoritiessaidthedemolitionwasaimedatstop-pingsaleofthebannedkitestring.“Wehadcirculatedorderspro-

hibitingsaleofChinesekitestringbut it could not stop the sale.Thereafter, goingby thequantityseizedandthefactthattwooutofthreehadprevioushistory,wede-cidedtotakestringentactionandtheirhousesweredemolishedasacoerciveactiontostopsaleofthebanned kite string,” UjjainCollector Ashish Singh told TheIndianExpress.The immediate trigger ap-

peared to be the death of NehaAanjna, a college student, onSaturday.Nehawasridingatwo-wheeler,withhersistersittingpil-lion, over a flyoverwhen a straykite string got entangled aroundher neck. She fell off the two-wheeler, bleedingprofusely, saidaneyewitness.Shewastakentoahospitalbutcouldnotbesaved.According to her uncle

MaheshAanjna,Nehaaspired to

becomeanIPSofficer.Fromavil-lage inUjjain’sMahidpur tehsil,shelivedwithheraunttopursuehigherstudies.The samedayChiefMinister

Chouhantweetedaboutthedeathandorderedthedistrictadminis-trationtotakeactionagainstthosesellingthebannedkitestring.Adaylater,thehousesofAbdul

Jabbar, Vijay Bhavsare andRitikJadhavweredemolished,allegedlywithinhours of receiving “back-dated”notices.While Jabbarwasbooked under Section 188 onJanuary 3, Bhavsare and JadhavwerebookedonJanuary12and13forsellingthebannedkitestring.While Jabbar lived in Top

Khana locality, Bhavsare andJadhavlivedinShashtriNagarandIndoreGatelocalities,respectively.Jabbar’s son Mohammad

Zubair said anoticewashandedover, saying their housewas ille-gallyconstructedandtostopfur-ther action they have to furnishrelevantpapers.“Mymother,whoisilliterate,washandedthenotice,

backdatedtoJanuary12...Withinanhourof thenotice, three vansofpolicealongwithJCBmachinesarrived and began demolishingour house.Whenwe objected,theyaskedus to sitquietlyorwewouldbebookedunderNSA.”“When my father was de-

tained, I told the police thatwehadboughtthekitestringfromawholesaler calledNarendra Jainbut thepolice after bringinghiminfor15minutes,lethimgowith-outanyaction,”Zubairalleged.City SP Pallavi Shukla, who

oversawthedemolitionofJabbar’shouse,saidthehouseswererazedastheywerefoundtobeillegalbytheadministration.Whenaskedwhythewholesaler,whosoldthestringtoZubairandothers,wasnotbooked, she said, “A searchwasconducted ... but nothing wasfoundduringthesearch.”Meanwhile,CongressMLAArif

MasoodhaswrittentostateHomeMinister NarottamMishra de-manding thearrest ofmain sup-plierofthekitestringVirendraJain.

DemolitionwascarriedoutallegedlyatshortnoticeonSunday

Tamil Nadu teen who wentmissing in 2020 found withman she met on Instagram

New Delhi

10WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

YEAR OF THE JABVaccinationdrivehasachievedimpressivesuccesses. Itneedstobescaledupinpoll-boundstates,mademoreexpansive

SEVENOUTOF10adults have received two shots of theCovid-19 vaccine. Eventhoughthis falls shortof thegovernment’s targetof inoculatingall adult citizensbytheendof2021,closeto160croreshotsbeingadministeredinayear,withouttherural-urbandividesignificantlyholdingbackdistribution,isnomeanachieve-

ment.Thecountry’sscientific,regulatory,andadministrativeagenciesundertheCentreandthestates,aswellasthenumerousvaccinatorsandhealthcareworkersinthefrontlinesofthebattleagainst theunpredictablecontagion,have impressively steppedupto thechallenge.Theimperativetoprotectlivesandlivelihoodsdemandedthateveryagencyworksoncom-pressed timelineswithout compromising the safety andefficacyof the shots. Itwasn’t al-ways smooth sailing. The taskof double jabbingnearly 100 crore adults in a yearnecessi-tated building capacities of vaccinemanufacturers and surmounting thewell-knowndeficienciesofthecountry’spublichealthsystem—bothremainworksinprogress.Theco-ordinationmechanismsbetweentheCentreandstatescameapartduringthesecondwaveand,fornearlytwomonths,thestateswerelefttofendforthemselvestosecurevaccinesup-plies. It requiredacoursecorrection in June lastyear,on theSupremeCourt’sprodding, forthevaccinationdrivetogathermomentumagain.Thetaskthatliesaheadistoensurespeedyimprovementinvaccinecoverageinstatesthat

havemadeslowprogress—Jharkhand,UttarPradesh,Manipur,AndhraPradesh,Punjab,UPandBihar.It’samatterofconcernthatthreeofthesestates—UP,PunjabandManipur—willbegoingtopollsnextmonth.Asreportedbythispaper,ananalysisbyanexpertpaneloftheMinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare flagged the “highvulnerability”of districts in thesestates“to theemergingCovidpandemicduetotheOmicronvariant”.TheCentreandstategovernmentsmustgiveutmostpriority tothecommittee’s recommendationof scalingupvaccinationinthesehigh-riskareas.PredictionsbyepidemiologiststhattheOmicron-drivensurgewillreachitspeakinlargepartsofthecountry,includinginthepoll-boundstates,inthenextfourtosixweeksshouldpushtheauthoritiestoquickentheirefforts.Thoughthehighlytransmissiblevariantdoescausebreakthroughinfections,evidencefromthecurrentsurgeshowsthatdoublevaccinationprotectspeopleagainstasevereformofthedisease.Therefore,evenas the country rightly intensifies its search for a stronger shield against the virus, notimemustbelostincompletingtheprimaryinoculationdrive.Reportsof theNationalTechnicalAdvisoryGrouponImmunisation(NTAGI)studying

“dataonmixingjabs”haveraisedhopesofmoreeffectiveshotsbeingaddedtothecoun-try’s vaccine basket. Such studies should be the first step towards expanding the ambitof the precautionary inoculation drive— currently, only frontlineworkers, healthcareprofessionalsandpeopleover60areeligible for the thirddose. TheNTAGI isalso study-ingthepossibilityof inoculatingchildrenunder15.Efforts in laboratoriesandconversa-tionsamongst regulatoryagenciesmusturgently translate intomaking thevaccinationdrivemoreexpansive.Theviruscaughtthecountryunpreparedlastyear.Noeffortshouldbespared toblunt thescourge thisyear.

FOREST FINE PRINTStateofForestReport’sconclusionofanincreaseincovershouldnotleadtocomplacency.Lossofnaturalforestsisworrying

FORTHEBETTERpartofthepast35years,theForestSurveyofIndia’sStateofForestReports (ISFR)havebeenshowingasteady increase in thecountry’s forestcover.The17theditionofthebiennialreportreleasedlastweekshowedthatIndia’sforestshaveincreasedbymorethan1,500sqkmbetween2019and2021and17stateshave

aforestcoverofmorethan33percent.Acloserreadingofthereport,however,showsareasofseriousconcern.Thecountryhaslostmorethan1,600sqkmofnatural forests inthispe-riod.The losshasbeencompensatedbyan improvement in thehealthof someof thepro-tectedareasandreserveforests.Butalargepartof theincreaseisduetomoreareascomingunderplantations,whichexpertsrightlyarguearenosubstitute fornatural forestswhenitcomestoprovidingcriticalecologicalservices.In2017, theFoodandAgriculturalOrganisation(FAO)slottedallplantations,other than

oilpalmtrees,initsdefinitionofforests.Theclassificationattractedmuchcriticismandmorethan200 scientific bodies, conservationagencies andNGOs shot off anopen letter urgingtheFAOto“changehowitdefinesforests”.Plantationsaretypicallycomposedofeven-agedtreesofthesamespecies.Suchmonoculturesdohaveeconomicvalueandlimitedutilityascarbonsinks.But theycannotbecomparedtonatural forests inharbouringbiodiversityoraidingpollinationorassourcesofwaterbodies.Thelossofmorethan1,000sqkmofnatu-ral forests in theNortheast, is, therefore,worrying. The ISFR attributes this loss tonaturalcalamitiesaswellasanthropogenicactivitiessuchasshiftingagriculture,developmentalac-tivities,andthefellingof trees.Thiscouldhaveabearingonthehealthofaquifers inthere-gion,wherewaterscarcityisalreadyaseriousproblem.Thelossintheforestcoverof someofthetigerreserves, includingtheSunderbans,shouldalsobeacauseforconcern.TheFAOhasclarifiedthatitsdefinitionofforestsisanaidtodatagatheringandshouldnot

be seenas a conservationyardstickor as an indicatorof ecosystemhealth. This caveathasnotbeen totally lost on theauthors of the latest ISFR. Policymakers shoulddowell to readthereport’sfineprintandnotbelulledintocomplacencybythereport’sgeneralconclusionofanincreaseinthecountry’snetforestarea.

Satoshi Suzuki

Verdictthatacquitsformerbishopisbasedonaregressivereadingofrapelaw

A NATURAL PARTNERSHIPIndia-Japantiesarebasedonadeeprespectforeachother

AREADINGOFtheelaborate289-pagejudg-mentdeliveredbyadditionalsessionsjudge,Kottayam,GGopakumar,acquittingrapeac-cused FrancoMulakkal, former Bishop ofJalandhar diocese,makes it seem that timehas stood still since the infamousMathurajudgment in1978(TukaramAndAnrvsStateOfMaharashtra,AIR1979SC185),whichtrig-gered thewomen’smovement in India. Inthat case, the SupremeCourt had acquittedtwopolicemenwhohadrapeda16-year-oldtribal girl in a police station on the groundthat there were nomarks of injury on herbodyandhenceshehadconsented.During the last 40 years, sustained cam-

paigns bywomen’s organisations have re-sulted in significant changes in the rape law.The latest of these was the amendmentsbrought about in 2013, following the brutalgangrapeandmurderofthe23-year-oldpara-medicinDelhiin2012.Through these amendments, the defini-

tionof rapeunderSection375of IPC,wasex-pandedfromtherigidpeno-vaginalpenetra-tion to insertionof fingers, tongueor objectsintothewoman’svagina,anus,mouth,aswellasforcingthevictimtotouchorfondlethepe-nis of the accused andother sexual acts. Theterm“rape”itselfwasredefinedbroadlyassex-ualassaultofvarioustypes.Sohowcanthevic-tim/survivorbefaultedforfailingtousethear-chaic term “rape”, while describing thehumiliating sexual acts shewas allegedlyforcedtoperform,bytheaccused?Frompage44onwards, forthenext10-15

pages, the judgment puts on record the vic-tim’stestimonythatcontainsgraphicdescrip-tionsofall thatshewassubjecttoontheveryfirst night onMay5, 2014, including the ac-cusedforcinghispenisintohermouth,ejacu-lating onher face, inserting fingers into hervagina.Dotheseactsnotamounttosexualas-saultunder theamendedSection375of IPC?Thevictimthendescribestheothersexualactsshewasforcedtoperform,includinganalsex,oralsex,fingerpenetration,peno-vaginalpen-etration, during subsequent sexual assaults,each of which constitutes offences underSection 375, IPC. Even if a single act amongtheseisproved—thenunalleged13separate

instancesofallegedrapeinaspanoffouryears—theaccusedwouldbeliableforpunishmentunderSection376of IPC.Further, since itwasproved thathewasa

person in authority as thepatronof her con-gregation,theMissionariesofJesus,theseactswouldamounttoaggravatedsexualabuseasthere is an unequal power relationship be-tweenthem.This isclearlybroughtoutinthejudgment itself, that though she was theMother Superiorof her congregation, theac-cused could askher to carryhis luggage andironhisgarments.Inwhatcouldbereadaseagernesstodis-

credit thevictim,andpaintherasanunreli-ablewitness, the judgment fails todwell onthese crucial ingredients of the amendedSections375-376of IPC. Instead, it goes intoirrelevancies such as factionalism and in-fightingwithin the church institutions, andholds that thevictimcouldhavebeen insti-gatedtofileafalsecomplaintbyrivalsof theformerbishop.Theverdictactuallypresumesthatanun,aMotherSuperiorat that,wouldrisk her reputation, her credibility and hersecurity to the extent of filing a false com-plaintattheinstanceof thebishop’srivals. Itseems to swallow the defence hypothesiswithout adoubtorquestion. It adds furtherthat “infightingandrivalryandgroupfightsof the nuns, and the desire for power, posi-tionandcontroloverthecongregation”wereevident in thecase.Severalpagesofthejudgmentaredevoted

toacomplaintfiledbyarelativeofthesurvivor.Though the relative subsequently testified incourt that her complaintwas fake, the judg-mentdwellsonittoestablishthatthenunwasawomanofeasyvirtue.Whenthemedicalre-portrevealedruptureofherhymen,itweighsinforthetheorythatitwasduetoherillicitre-lationshipwith the husbandof her relative.Further, totally extraneous comments aremade about her anatomy,which have ab-solutelynorelevancetohercomplaintagainsttheaccused. It appears thatwhat ison trial ishermoralcharacterandnotthesexualassaultand abuseof powerby the accused. This is aclearviolationof thelegalstipulationthatthehistoryofthevictimcannotbeusedbythede-

fencetotarnishtheimageof thevictim.The judgment also totally disregards the

fact that the complainant is a nununder theoath of chastity and the adverse impact thesexualassaultwouldhaveonherpsyche,andhowthatmight explainherhesitation todi-rectlyrefertotheincidentofsexualabuse/rape.For instance, in September 2016, the victimmade certaindisclosures to twoof her com-panions.Whensheappearedtobedepressedaftera retreat, theyaskedher thereason.Thevictimthenconfidedthatshewasapprehen-siveaboutthearrivalof thebishopinthecon-vent.“If thebishopcomes, Iwillhavetosharethebedwithhim,”sheisquotedtohavesaid.Whenapersonexpressesdespairthatshe

will“havetosharethebed”withanother, im-plicitinthisdisclosureisthefearthatitwouldend in onemore incident of sexual assault,based on her past experience, and that shedoesnothavethecapacitytoresistit.Laypeo-pledonotuse technical legal termsandonlyobliquelyrefertosexualabuse.Butthejudge-menthasdrawnadverseconclusionsfromtheuseofsuchexpressions.Itappearsthatthetrialcourtadoptedahy-

per-technical approachandappliedawhollyunrealisticstandardwhilediscardingthetes-timonyofthevictim.Thejudgementalsofailedto appreciate the constraints underwhich anunlivesandthepowerdynamicsinvolvedinthe case. It ignoredwell-settledprinciples ofappreciationof evidenceandadoptedanap-proach thatdidnot take intoaccountnormalhumanfailings.It is interesting to note that the former

bishophasnotdeniedanyof the incidentsofsexualabusementionedbythevictim.Though,accordingtotheverdict,theoffenceshavenotbeenproved“beyondreasonabledoubt”asre-quired under the criminal law, can it be as-sumedthattheydidnottakeplace?The sad part of this judgment is that it

will serve to silencehundredsof victimsofabuse by the clergy, who might have re-ceived inspiration from this case to bringtheir abusers to.

Thewriter isa feminist legal scholarandawomen’s rightsadvocatebased inMumbai

THEYEAR2022marks the70th anniversaryof the establishment of diplomatic relationsbetweenJapanandIndia.Theentireyearwillbemarkedbycelebratoryevents.Thisisanop-portunitytoreminisce,bemindfulofthepres-entandenvisionourfuture. Itgivesmepleas-urethatwecancelebratethe75thanniversaryoftheIndependenceofIndiaandthe70than-niversaryof Japan-Indiadiplomatic relationstogether.FormalrelationsbetweenJapanandIndia

beganin1952.AftertheSecondWorldWar,in-steadofsigningthemultilateralSanFranciscoPeaceTreaty,Indiaoptedforconcludingabilat-eralpeacetreatywithJapan,consideringthathonour and equality should be ensured forJapan to rejoin the international community.This is the cornerstoneof our long-standingfriendship.Butevenbeforetheestablishmentofdiplomaticrelations,thegoodwillbetweenthe people of the two countrieswas deeplyrooted throughbusiness, academic and cul-tural exchanges. In 1951,when India hostedthe firstAsianGames inNewDelhi, it invitedJapaneseathletes.Thiswasoneofthefirstoc-casionswhere the Japanese flagwashoistedafterWWII.ThisexperiencesoothedthemindsofJapanesepeoplewhowerestrugglingtore-buildtheircountry.After70yearsofmulti-lay-eredexchanges,therelationshipbetweenourtwo countries grew into a “Special StrategicandGlobal Partnership”. Our partnership isbasedonadeeprespectforeachother’scontri-butions inpromotingpeace, stabilityandde-velopmentinAsiaandbeyond.Iamproudthattoday,especiallyundertheleadershipofbothprimeministers,we recognise eachother as

natural partners towork together for a “FreeandOpen Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” and variousotherglobalissues.Wealsohavea longhistoryof people-to-

people exchanges that canbe tracedback tothe sixth century. Buddhismwasbrought toJapanand,in752,anIndianmonk,Bodhisena,performedtheconsecrationceremonyfortheGreatBuddhaStatueatTodai-ji,whichisoneofthemostimportanttemplesinJapan.Fast-for-ward to theMeiji Restoration in the late19thCentury—Japanneedednatural resourcestomodernise its industry.Many Japanese trav-elledtoIndiatopurchasecotton, ironore,etc.The exchanges amongartists should also bementioned. This includes an interactionbe-tween the Nobel Laureate in literature,RabindranathTagoreandOkakuraTenshin,aJapanesephilosopher.The70thanniversaryisbasedonthetheme

“buildingafutureforourcentenary.”Thisisthemantra thatwill guideus this year. Themes-sageisthatwewill togethercreateourfutureandpropel ourselves towards the100th-an-niversarylandmarkandbeyond.Istronglybe-lievethatthefutureoffersenormouspossibil-itiesforourpartnership.First,we, as democratic countries inAsia,

cancooperatetocontributetoglobalpeaceandprosperity.We sharepolitical, economic andstrategic interests basedon the firm founda-tionsofcommonvaluesandtraditions.Wearecontinuingour efforts to build a rules-basedfreeandopeninternationalorder.Thereareaplethoraof fieldsthatwecancooperateinse-curity issues including cyber security, outerspaceandeconomicsecurity.

Second,oureconomicrelationscanbefur-theraugmented.For long, JapanhasbeenthelargestODA(OfficialDevelopmentAssistance)donortoIndia.Oneofthemostrecentandon-going examples of our collaboration is theMumbai-AhmedabadHigh-SpeedRail proj-ect.JapanisalsooneofthelargestinvestorsinIndia.Bothcountrieshavealsopromotedeco-nomic cooperation in other countries to en-hance social infrastructure and connectivity.Our economic partnership can furtherstrengthentheeconomyoftheIndo-Pacific,aswellastheworldeconomy.Third,culturalexchanges includinglitera-

ture,movies,music, sportsandacademicsareessentialforourrelations,enablingabetterun-derstanding. I amdelighted tohear that thenumber of Japanese learners is increasing inIndia.Ifirmlybelievethattheseyoung,ignitedmindsofourcountrieswillbethefoundationofanevenstrongerfriendshipinthefuture.Despitethecoronaviruspandemic,ourties

continuetoflourish.Eventhoughthenumberof in-person interactionsmayhavebeen im-pacted,thisinnowaydoesthisimplythatourtieshaveweakened.Ourlonghistorysubstan-tiates that.Ourcommonvision for the futurewillneverbeaffected.Wecanstrengthenourpartnershipevenduringthepandemicbyutil-isingdigital technologyasa facilitatorofnewandinnovativemethodstostayintouchwitheachother.Iwouldliketoconcludebyextend-ingmybestwishes for thisspecialyear2022.I hope it turns out to bememorable for ourcountriesandpeople.

ThewriterisAmbassadorofJapantoIndia

The judgment goes intoirrelevancies such asfactionalism and infightingwithin the churchinstitutions, and holds thatthe victim could have beeninstigated to file a falsecomplaint by rivals of theformer bishop. The verdictactually presumes that anun, a Mother Superior atthat, would risk herreputation, her credibilityand her security to the extentof filing a false complaint atthe instance of the bishop’srivals. It seems to swallowthe defence hypothesiswithout a doubt or question.It adds further that‘infighting and rivalry andgroup fights of the nuns, andthe desire for power, positionand control over thecongregation’ were evident inthe case.

For long, Japan has been thelargest ODA (OfficialDevelopment Assistance)donor to India. One of themost recent and ongoingexamples of ourcollaboration is the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-SpeedRail project. Japan is also oneof the largest investors inIndia. Both countries havealso promoted economiccooperation in othercountries to enhance socialinfrastructure andconnectivity.

FOUNDED BY

RAMNATH GOENKA

B E C A U S E T H E T R U T H I N V O L V E S U S A L L

§ §

THEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022WORDLYWISE

Thepractical importanceof the preservationofour forests is augmentedbytheirrelations

toclimate, soil and streams.—JohnMuirTHEEDITORIALPAGE

NSA AGAINST STRIKERSTWODAYSBEFORE theproposed industrialstrikeonJanuary19,atleastfourstategovern-mentsonbeganpreventivearrests.InAndhraPradesh,sixpersons,deluding'stateBJPpres-ident P Chalapathi Rao and Mayor ofVisakhapatnamNSReddy,werearrestedun-der theNational SecurityAct. The others ar-restedwereVisakhapatnamBJPpresidentKSANGaju, CPI leaderMVBhadramandCITUleadersP.KashiBushanRaoandSGangadharReddy.TheJammuandKashmirgovernmentarrested a largenumber of people includingQaziAbdulHahid,generalsecretaryofJammuand Kashmir Panthers. A government

spokesman said that all arrangements hadbeenmade to ensurenormalwork inofficesandfactories.

AFTER ANTULAYTHREE DAYS AFTER she had secured theMaharashtraCongress-ILegislatureParty’sau-thorisationtonameARAntulay’ssuccessoraschiefminister,theCongress-IpresidentIndiraGandhihasfailedtofindapersoneitherfromthe legislature party or from outsidewhowouldbeacceptabletothedefiantsupportersof theoustedchiefministeraswell ashisop-ponents.TillSundaynight,therewasnoofficialwordonwhenshewouldtakeadecision.

TEXTBOOK CHANGEHISTORY AND LANGUAGE textbooks forschoolsalloverIndiawillsoonberevisedrad-ically.Inacollaborationwithvariousstategov-ernments, theMinistry of Educationhasbe-gun a phased programme to weed out“undesirable textbooks” and removematterprejudicial tonational integration andunity.The criteria for evaluatinghistory textbooks,laiddownbytheNCERT,is,however,boundtoleadtoabiggercontroversythantheonewhichtookplacewhentextswrittenbywell-knownhistorians such as Romila Thapar, BipinChandraandRSSharmawereremovedfromcertaincourses.

JANUARY 18, 1982, FORTYYEARSAGO

DANCE LIKE A MANThroughhisart,BirjuMaharajtoldstories,blurredgenderlines,

createdaparalleluniverse

SAMKOPAKDO.Kathakmeinsamtumharagharhai(Catchthefirstbeatofthetimecycle.InKathak,that’shome),”theexactingguruinPanditBirjuMaharajwouldsaytohisstudents.Andwhentherewasamistake,he’dgetupandgobacktotheba-sics—withthatfirstlessonintatkaar(footwork).Withhishandsheldtogetherin

front,he’dbegin,slowlyraisingthetempo,untilhisghungrooandfeetblurredtogetherandheseemedtobe inaparalleluniverse.And justwhenyou leastexpected it,hewasback tosam. Theartistwho inspiredgenerationsofmenandwomen to takeupKathak, a templedanceformthatthrivedwhenitmovedtotheMughalcourts,passedawayonMondayduetoCovidandkidneycomplicationsat83.Maharajbegandancingwhenhewasabout four.His father,AchhanMaharaj,whowas

fromthefamedKalka-BindadinfamilyofLucknow,beganhistrainingathome.Hewasjustaboutfindinghisfeet,whenhisfatherpassedaway.Buttheprecisioninthefootworkwashisfather’sgift.AndtheworldofBrajandthatofKrishnawashisown,wherehewouldbeRadhatryingtoenticehisbeloved.Maharajdidn’tcareaboutgenderrolesashepresentedthesen-sualityanderoticismofShringaarRas.MaledancershavemovedmoretowardsVeer(hero-ism)Ras, amongothers thatwere seenasmoremale-oriented. BirjuMaharaj createdhisownkathas(stories)andlookedatsocial issuesthroughdance.WhenSatyajitRaywantedtodepicttheworldofNawabWajidAliShahinhisfilmShatranj

keKhiladi, he askedBirjuMaharaj todeliver apiece that belonged to19th centuryAwadh.Maharajcreatedthegentle,bhaav-oriented“Kanhamaintosehaari”.Inafive-minutepiece,Maharajgavethecruxofhisworldtotheaudiencethroughthebandish,aworldwherethefirstbeatof thattimecyclebeganathome.

FlaviaAgnes

The more they remain same

New Delhi

11THEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

WHATTHEOTHERSSAY“A week that began with low expectations has ended with a still bleaker mood.No one believed that three rounds of talks between the US, Russia and otherswould magically resolve the Ukraine crisis.” —THEGUARDIANTHE IDEASPAGE

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Having ousted the Sovietsuperpower fromAfghanistan in the late 1980s,Pakistan was ready to applythe model of cross-borderterrorism to shake Kashmirloose from India and turnAfghanistan into aprotectorate. Supportingjihadi groups was seen as alow-cost strategy to achievePakistan’s long-standingstrategic objectives in theneighbourhood. These grandgeopolitical obsessions leftlittle bandwidth for themuch-needed economicmodernisation of Pakistan.

ITHASbeenalongtimesinceJanuary2020,when the first case of Covid-19 was re-ported in India. We’ve come a long waysincethoseearlydaysofuncertainty,whenthere was no treatment and no vaccine.Things have changed inmanyways sincethen, but theydonot seemtobe changingquicklyenough.Everyone isaware that the Indiangov-

ernment, the healthcare and frontlineworkers and doctors have done a com-mendable job. However, aswe look backand take stock, there are a few questionswe must ask. Have we done well? Yes.Havewe learnt our lessonswell?Yes andno.And lastbutnot the least, havewean-ticipated challenges well? No. We werenot the first country to bear the brunt ofthe virus — and it was possible to learnfromothercountries. In the firstwave, forexample,wemanaged to keep casualtieslow with the use of steroids — a lessonthat Italyhad learnt thehardwayandwehad learnt from them. But that is an ex-ception rather than the rule. One can ar-gue that we had meagre resources interms of health infrastructure andwhileno one can ramp this up overnight, onecancertainly lookatprudentoptimalutil-isation. Facing a thirdwavenow,wemayneed to act differently.Despite good intentions and efforts,

thereweremultipletimeswhenwedidnotact swiftly despite adequate, reasonablyaccurate information available on whatwas headed our way.We came up rathershort in our preparations for the secondwave, whether we choose to admit it ornot. Our vaccination related decisions al-ways followed, and were taken, post therising number of cases. This was the casebefore the secondwave,whenwe tiptoedaroundwith the vaccine against a ragingsuper-cycloneornowwiththevaccinationdecisionon“precaution”doses.Policyandinterventionshavenothadarealitycheck.Our interventionsdonotalwaysmatchuptothechangingon-groundsituation,eventhoughwe are up against a virus that is animble operator and has already seen somanymutations.Letus lookattheevidence.Onlymasks

and lockdowns have been conclusivelyproven to slow down transmission. Whythispredilectionofmanystates thenwithnightandweekendcurfews? If theywereindeed effective— and given the numberof timeswehavetakenrecoursetothem—weshouldbynowhavegeneratedenoughdata to defend or junk them. Our policiesand actions have to be flexible and adjustto the changing face of thepandemic.Weshouldnotresort tothesamesteps

just so it appearswearedoing. Responsesthat do notmake anymaterial difference,

and are yet repeated over and over again,createfatigueinpeopleandprecipitatevi-olations.Particularlysowhentheyimpactdailylivesandlivelihoods. Inourobsessionwithkeepingpeople’sspiritshighandget-ting on with life, we trivialised the pan-demic and failed to teach people to livewithitsafely.Weoscillatebetweenthetwoextremesofunreasonablepanicandwan-ton carelessness. The path to follow is themiddle one, and each state governmentshould take a call on this based on theirground realities.Evenfromanimplementationperspec-

tive,night curfewsmake little sense.Afterall,howmanylate-nightwintergatheringshappen? If we can implement a curfew,woulditnotbeeasiertocontrolgatheringsrather than impose blanket restrictionsthat will inconvenience all and rob dailywagers of their daily bread? There aremanywho still refuse towearmasks, andareathreattoothersandshouldbetreatedaccordingly. We need to curb violationsand not necessarilymovement. But let usalso pause for awhile to think aboutwhypeopleareviolatingtherules.Whereisourcommunication strategy?Weneedtoacceptthatwearewaypast

the stage of containment and the need ofthehourismitigation. Insteadofshoulder-ing the entire responsibility, the govern-ment should shift the onus of keeping thepandemic at bay to thepeople but bepre-paredtostepinwhenpeopleneedmedicalhelp.Todothatthenarrativehastochange.The tone of communication has to be lesspatronising—weneedtobringinanoveltyof approach togetpeople to listen. If therewaseveratimeforinnovativepublichealthcommunication, it isnow.Weneedtopub-licisethescience—onlywhatisprovenbe-yonddoubt.We also need to recalibrate our testing

strategyinlinewithchangingrealities.Oratleastdebatewhetherit isstill“test,testandtest”.Wehavedonephenomenalworkonvaccinations and150crore is a goodnum-ber. This is the time tobuildon it. Full cov-erage (the second dose) is still some dis-tance away in Indiawhile some countriesareprovidingafourthdose.Thereisenoughvaccineavailability.Whyarewemovingsoslowlyonboosters?Weneedtomakethemavailableforallandcreateanenablingpol-icy environment so that people protectthemselves and the government does notevenhave topay.The lastcoupleof yearshaveshownus

thatpandemic control decisions are criti-cal.We really need todebate if now is thetimeto thinkof apolicyde-control.Manyepidemicsendeitherwiththediseasebe-ingeradicatedorthediseasebecomingen-demic. We now know that we have toadaptto livingalongsideCovid-19,andweneedtoshift fromviewingitasaone-timethreat thatdefinessociety toseeing it asapartof everydaylife.Vaccinesarereassur-ing in preventing severe cases and willhelp in normalising life. And that is whatwe should aim for.

Thewriter is former secretary,Governmentof Indiaand founderandco-lead,

Partnerships for Impact

ONEOFTHEmost dangerousmoments for aregime iswhen it wants to change course.Whenthere isasignificantalterationof inter-nalorexternalcircumstances,changebecomesan urgent necessity. But in seeking majorchange, the sovereign takes considerablepo-liticalrisks.Butnotchangingcarriesevenbig-ger risks. That is thekindofmoment that thePakistanistatefindsitself intoday.The dominant sentiment in the Indian

strategiccommunityisthatPakistancanneverchange.Butwedoknowthattheonlyconstantin theworld is change. You could argue onwhenthatchangemightoccur,butnotitseven-tuality.Asmallminority in Indiabelieves thatDelhimust actively contribute to facilitatingchangeinPakistanbybeinggenerousonbilat-eraldisputes.ButscepticswouldsayIndiahasnoagencyinshapingpoliticaloutcomesacrossthewesternborder and that the impetus forchangemustcomefromwithinPakistan.SinceIndia’s stakes in a stable Pakistan are higherthananyoneelseintheworld,Delhimustpayclose attention to the internal debateswithinIslamabadontheimperativesofmajorchangeinPakistan’snationaldirection.Thenational securitypolicy statement is-

suedlastweekbythegovernmentofPakistanacknowledgestheneedforchange.Butascrit-icsinPakistaninsist,itoffersnocluesonhowtogoaboutit.Theclassifiedversionprobablyhasaclearstrategyonhowtoaccelerateeconomicgrowth,buildnationalcohesion,andrevitaliseitsforeignandsecuritypolicies.Butitisnotvis-ibleinthepublicversion.ThecrisesthatPakistanconfrontstodayare

quitesimilartothoseDelhifacedattheturnofthe1990s.India’spost-Independenceoldeco-nomicmodelwentbellyup;theeraofmassivedomestic politicalmandates yieldedplace toweak coalition governments; the heartlandwas caught in deep social conflicts involvingcaste(mandal)andreligion(kamandal);India’speripherywason fire fromKashmir to TamilNaduandPunjabtotheNortheast.TheSovietUnion, India’sbest friendinthe

ColdWar,felloffthemapandtheRussiansuc-cessorwasmoreinterestedinintegratingwiththeWest.Indiafoundthatitspoliticaltieswithallothermajorpowers—theUS,Europe,ChinaandJapan—wereunderdevelopedattheendof the ColdWar. On the development front,therewere relentless external pressures forsweepingdomesticchanges.As India struggled to copewithmultiple

threats to its territorial integrity, theworldwantedtoseegreateraccountabilityonhumanrights.Pakistan,meanwhile,wasrunningproxywarsinIndiaevenasitmobilisedinternationalpressuresagainstDelhionKashmir.Allthema-jor powers agreedon thedangers of nuclearproliferationandwanted India to roll back itsnuclearweaponsprogramme.Withinadecade,though,Indiawasonadif-

ferenttrajectory.Itsreformedeconomywasona high growth path. Indiawas hailed as anemerging power thatwould eventually be-come the third-largest economy in theworld

andamilitarypower to reckonwith. Itwrig-gled freeof the international itch forKashmirmediation; it did not pacify all the insurgen-cies, but got abetterhandleonmostof them.Delhi also cut a dealwithWashington tobe-comeapartoftheglobalnuclearorderonrea-sonableterms.Thisinvolvedaseriesofstructuraleconomic

reforms,therecastingofforeignpolicy,andde-veloping a new culture of power-sharingwithincoalitionsandbetweentheCentreandthestates.Aboveall,itinvolvedsheddingmanyoftheideologicalcertitudesthatseemedsoes-sential forIndia’sexistence.India is not the only country in the

Subcontinentthattransformeditself.Theeco-nomictransformationofBangladeshhasbeenequally impressive.At thedawnof the1990s,Delhiputitsheaddowntofocusoneconomictransformation andmanagemultiple chal-lengesconfrontingit.Bangladeshdidmuchthesamesince SheikhHasina returned topowerin2009.Itthenfocusedoneconomicdevelop-ment, stopped support to terrorism, and im-provedtieswiththelargerofitstwoneighbours—India.ButPakistanchoseadifferentpath. Itended the ColdWar on a high note. Havingousted the Soviet superpower fromAfghanistan in the late 1980s, Pakistanwasreadytoapplythemodelofcross-borderterror-ismtoshakeKashmirloosefromIndiaandturnAfghanistanintoaprotectorate.Supportingji-hadigroupswasseenasalow-coststrategytoachievePakistan’s long-standingstrategicob-jectivesintheneighbourhood.Thesegrandgeopoliticalobsessionsleftlit-

tlebandwidthforthemuch-neededeconomicmodernisationofPakistan.Asaresult,itsecon-omy in2021 (GDPat $280billion) iswell be-hind that of Bangladesh ($350 billion).Islamabad,which relentlesslypursuedparitywithDelhi,nowfindsthattheIndianeconomyat$3.1trillionismorethan10timeslargerthanthatofPakistan.In thepast, Pakistanhadmuch success in

pursuingaforeignpolicythatnotonlybalancedIndiawith the support of theWest, but alsocarvedout a large role for itself in theMiddleEast andmore broadly theMuslimworld.Today, Pakistan is upset that it doesnot get acall fromUSPresident JoeBiden sincehehasbeenelectedinNovember2020.BarringtheUnitedKingdom,Pakistan’seq-

uities in theWest have steadily diminished.

Although itsall-weather tieswithChinahavegone fromstrength tostrength, theunfoldingconflictbetweenWashingtonandBeijinghasputPakistaninanuncomfortablestrategicsit-uation.Meanwhile,ithassquandereditstradi-tionally strong ties in theMiddle EastwithSaudiArabiaandtheUnitedArabEmirates.Pakistan’ssupport forviolentreligiousex-

tremismhas also begun to backfire.Militantgroupsonce seenasvaluable instruments forPakistanhavenowturnedagainst thestate.Apermissiveenvironmentforterrorismhasnowattractedseverefinancialpenaltiesfromthein-ternationalsystem.Pakistanhadachancetochangecourse in

2001,whentheUS intervened inAfghanistanafter the 9/11 attacks on New York andWashington.Butitfocusedinsteadonprotect-ing the Taliban and its anti-India assets.Pakistan’striumphinbringingtheTalibanbackhashadbigcostsinitsrelationshipwiththeUS.It isonethingtodefeattheworld’ssolesuper-power, but another to endure its wrath.Meanwhile, theTaliban is signalling it isnotapassiveproxyinPakistan’shands.ContinuousprovocationsofPakistan’ster-

rorhaveseenIndiachangethetermsofengage-mentwith Islamabad in the last few years.Delhi,whichwas prepared tomake conces-sionsonKashmir inthe1990sand2000s,hastakenKashmiroff thetableandisreadytousemilitary force in response tomajor terror at-tacks.Delhi’sattitudetowardsIslamabadnowoscillatesbetweeninsoucianceandaggression.Unlikeinthepast,theWestisnolongerpressur-ingIndiatoaccommodatePakistanonKashmir.TheUSiseagerforIndia’ssupportinbalancingChinaintheIndo-Pacific.All these shifts together have compelled

Pakistantorethinkitspolicies.Butanyattemptat changewill inevitablydivide theestablish-mentandproducenewcontradictions. It isbynomeansclearif thePakistanarmyiscapableofnavigatingthem.Asitscrisesacquiregreaterintensity,changeisinevitableinPakistan.Thereisnoguaranteethatthechangewillbedefini-tiveandforthegood.Butifitis,Delhishouldbepreparedtorespondpositively.

ThewriterisVisitingResearchProfessorattheInstituteofSouthAsianStudies,NationalUniversityofSingaporeandcontributing

editoroninternationalaffairsforTheIndianExpress

CKMishra

Islamabad’snewnationalsecuritypolicyacknowledgestheneedforchangeasitsmultiplecrisesbecomemoreintense.Delhishouldwatch,bepreparedtoreactpositively

The choice before Pakistan Livingwith Covid,without panicIt’stimetoshiftfromviewingthevirusasaone-timethreattoseeingitasa

partofdailylife

CR Sasikumar

MIXED LEGACYTHISREFERSTO theeditorial, ‘AViratcaptaincy’ (IE, January17).ViratKohliwas India’s most pampered skipperwhohadadecidingrole right fromse-lection of the team to the way heutilised them on the field such as bychanging established batting order.He utilised the freedom to build astrong team but he also made hisplayers unsure of their selection.Rohit Sharma had to wait for a longtimebeforehestartedasanopener inTests and Ravichandran Ashwin hadtositon thebench foranentire series.His far too aggressive style of leader-ship on the field was awesome butlacked grace and mature tempera-ment. His irresponsible outburst onthe stumpmic due to the rejection ofhis appeal after review provided thelast straw.

YGChouksey,Pune

THIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘A Viratcaptaincy’ (IE, January17).UnderViratKohli’s aggressive brand of captaincy,the one feature which stood out themostandgavehandsomedividendstoteamIndiawas"self-belief".Thebowl-ingunitgot itsdueunderhim,playingacrucial role inIndia’swins.Moreover,even Virat’s batting continued tobloom irrespective of the captaincy'spressure. True to his style, Virat tookthe call to stepdown, living life onhisownterms. Itwill bedifficult to fill hisbig boots.

VijaiPant,Hempur

HATE AND POWERTHISREFERSTOthearticle, ‘Tighten theNet’(IE,January6).Whileonecannotdis-agreewithMeeranChadhaBorwankar'sviews, Ibelieve itdealswithsymptoms,rather than themalady.When thehatecampaign,invariousforms,isovertlyandcovertlybeingpromotedbycentralmin-istersthemselves,withtheotherarmsofthestatetoeingtheline,howeffectivewilltheFIR-investigation-conviction-punish-mentcyclebeincuringthemalady?Theonlywayisnottosendthehatemongerstotheseatsofpowereveragain.

SukumarDamle,Delhi

CRYPTO VALUETHISREFERSTOthearticle,‘Inthegarbofcrypto’(IE,January17).Thevotariesofthethird generationof the internet orWeb3.0perceivethefutureof the internetasmoredecentralised, andtheentiredigi-tal ecosystemmore transparent anddemocratic.Thewhole idea is to freeupdigitalassetsfromthecroniesofWeb2.0,astheyhavecapturedtheentireinternetexperienceincollusionwithotheractors.Cryptocurrencies functionswithanun-derlying blockchain network, where,frommintingnewcoins to exchangingthemforagoodorserviceisrecordedinadecentralisedledgerthroughaconsen-susmechanism.Thevalueofexchangeisestimatedthroughthedemandandsup-plydynamics, verymuch like anyotherfiat currency, but it is immune to ineffi-cienciesofamonetarypolicy.

SudipKumarDey,Barasat

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

AT THE age of 43, several separate factorscame together in the life of Maria AuroraCouto,withconsiderable impactonthetra-jectory of Indian literature. The late author,whopassedawayat84onJanuary14, isbe-ingwidely— and justifiably— eulogised asthe grande damewho reigned over the cul-tural affairs of Goa after retiring to her hus-band’s ancestral home some 20 years ago.But that is onlyonepart of her story. Earlierchaptersareevenmoresignificant.Those unacknowledged contributions

cameafter the game-changingyear of 1980,startingwithCoutobeing awardedher doc-torate from the Centre of French Studies atJawaharlalNehruUniversity (her thesiswasentitled FrançoisMauriac et GrahamGreene:Étudiecomparée(lathèmedelahumanismere-ligieux)). Theverynextmonth, shemoved toLondonwithherhusbandAlban—anIASof-ficer deputed to the Commonwealth secre-tariattoworkunderShridathRamphal—andembarkedonaremarkablejournalisticcareerfaraheadof itstime.Right until the Coutos left again, for

Chennai in1994,Maria,whoaddedbackheroriginal childhood name of Aurora twodecadesago,servedasthepre-eminentcham-pionofIndianwritinginsomeofthemosthal-lowedliterarypublicationsoftheAnglophonewest, like Times Literary Supplement andEncounter.Shealsoappearedregularlytotalkabout books on BBC television, andwrotevividlyforreadersbackhomeinEconomicandPoliticalWeeklyandSundayExpress(whereher

weeklyLetter fromLondoncolumnwascom-missionedbyDomMoraes).Couto’svoiceindevelopmentwasintrigu-

inglydifferent fromher eventualmagisterialex cathedra. In essays like To be Black and inBrixton (EPW, May 9, 1981) andVoice of theUnheard (EPW, July 11, 1981), she is veritablyNaipaulesque (but leaning to theNobelist’smorehumanebrother, Shiva), as sheprobesthe same issues raised anewbyBlack LivesMatter: “The intransigence of the young to-wardsstructuresofleadershipisasignoftheirunderstandingoftheirpower.Forthemtheri-ots presented not hope of change but anawarenessoftheirowncapacitytoaffecttheircircumstancesandenvironment.”Thatrichlypromisingveinwasunfortu-

natelyclosedafterAlbanCouto, inapatternthatpersistedwithdecliningforceinthefol-lowingdecades, felt thathiswifeshouldnotriskbeingoutspoken, inthiscasecitingtheirstatus as diplomatic residents in the UK.Happily, the literary criticismdid continue,with breakthroughs like the first review ofSalman Rushdie’sMidnight’s Children forIndian readers.Fromour 2022 perspective, aftermany

Indian writers have written internationalbestsellers, it seemsalmostsurreal torecallthe1980s.Ournovelistsweren’tcelebrities.Advancesweremeagre.Thewesternestab-lishment offered mostly radio silence. Inthatvacuumof attention,Coutowasan in-valuable lodestone of support,whowouldargue passionately for — and just as often,

with— their books.Here,Midnight’s ChildrenandParents: The

SearchforIndo-BritishIdentity(Encounter,1982)makes for especially fascinating reading.SalmanRushdiehadalreadywontheBooker,butCoutomakesthecase—nolessimpressivefor beingwrong—thathisnovel fails signifi-cantly,duetotheauthor’s“inabilitytoencom-pass the contradictions inmodern India”. Bythispoint,ofcourse,thetwoweregoodfriends,and in1995, thenovelist’s superbTheMoor’sLastSigh featuredAuroraZogoibyasoneof itsmaincharacters.Couto’sculminatingavataras thecultural

eminenceofGoawillberememberedfortwofinememoirs,Goa—ADaughter’sStory(2004)andFilomena’sJourneys:Aportraitofamarriage,afamily&aculture(2013).Unlikeherbestwrit-ingfromLondon,theseareeasilyclassifiable.As the late historian Teotonio de Souza

pointedoutinhisperceptive,characteristicallyelliptical 2005 review inEPW, theybelong tothewell-establishedGoantraditionofpolem-icalhistories(includinghisownexcellent1994Goa toMe) thatweavebroader analysiswith“livedexperienceofsituationsofanguishandopportunities [that]most other sons anddaughtersofGoahavegonethroughatdiffer-entperiodsandcontextsofhistory”.Even if the form is centuries-old, Couto’s

writing stayed singular inone crucial aspect.Unlikeotherprominentexamplesofthisgenre—includingdeSouza’sbookandDharmanandKosambi’sclassicNivedan—herwritingisab-sent of rancour. Others settled scores. She

soughttounderstand.In itself, that is an impressive legacy and

tributetoCouto’stenacity.Sheimbibedanide-alisticIndianidentityunderdifficultchildhoodcircumstances inDharwad(whereshemadelifelong friends like Shashi Deshpande andGirishKarnad),andneverbackedoffcelebrat-ing thosepluralistic underpinnings.Noneofthisisexactlyunique—indeedDeshpandeandKarnad are nodifferent—but herswas cer-tainlyanunforgettablepresence,withanun-commoncapacityfordazzlingpolyglotcharm.In later years, Couto’s focus shifted home,wheresheperceivedmultiplethreats.In2015,shewarned that “Goa’s legendary secularethos”wasbeingsubvertedby“uglypolarisa-tionbetweenGoa’stwomajorcommunities”.Regrettably,sheneverregainedoptimism.

Inwhat is nowpoignant posthumous read-ing, Couto ended her last published essay(Scroll.in,March2021)withthislament:“Thedarknessfallsonmyverandah.Itisveryquiethere. I amshieldedby the verdant greenerythat surroundsmyhouse, a protective cara-pace of peace and repose in the dwindlinglight.Butnightbringswith it the immensityof sorrow, the grief of loss. Decades ago,[Graham] Greene presciently said that thehumanfactorwouldnotlastinourGoa,initsvillages and towns. How had he foreseenthis?Iamonlygladthatheisnotheretowit-ness theunbearabletruthofhisacuity.”

Thewriterisco-founderandco-curatoroftheGoaArts+LiteratureFestival

VivekMenezes

Journeys ofMaria Aurora CoutoHerwritingsreflectedpluralisticunderpinningsofanidealisticIndianidentity

RAJA-MANDALAby CRajaMohan

New Delhi

JAKEBLEIBERG&ERICTUCKERCOLLEYVILLE, JANUARY17

THERABBIof aTexas synagoguesaidMondaythathethrewachairat thegunmanandthenescapedwithtwootherhostagesaftera10-hourstandoff,creditingpastsecu-ritytrainingforgettinghimselfandhiscongregationoutsafely.Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker

told“CBSMornings”thatheletthegunman in Saturdaybecauseheappearedtoneedshelter.Hesaidthemanwasnot threatening orsuspiciousat first.Later,heheardagunclickashewaspraying.Anotherman held hostage,

Jeffrey R. Cohen, described the

ordealonFacebook.“First of all, we escaped.We

weren’t released or freed,”Cohensaid.Cohen said themenworked

to keep the gunman engaged.They talked to the gunman, helectured them. At one point asthe situation devolved, Cohensaidthegunmantoldthemtoget

on their knees. Cohen recalledrearingupinhischairandslowlymovinghis head andmouthing“no”. As the gunmanmoved tosit back down, Cohen saidCytron-Walkeryelled to run.“Theexitwasn’ttoofaraway,”

Cytron-Walker said. “I told themto go. I threwa chair at the gun-man, and I headed for the door.Andallthreeofuswereabletogetoutwithevenashotbeingfired.”Authorities identified the

hostage-taker as 44-year-oldBritish national, Malik FaisalAkram,whowaskilledSaturdaynight after the last hostages ranout of Congregation Beth Israelaround9pm.TheFBIonSundaynightissued

a statement calling theordeal “a

terrorism-relatedmatter,inwhichthe Jewish communitywas tar-geted”andsaidtheJointTerrorismTaskForceisinvestigating.Akramcouldbeheardranting

on a Facebook livestreamof theservices anddemanding the re-leaseofAafiaSiddiqui,aPakistanineuroscientist suspectedofhav-ingtiestoal-Qaidawhowascon-victedoftryingtokillUSArmyof-ficers inAfghanistan.The investigationstretchedto

England,wherelateSundaypoliceinManchester announced thattwoteenagerswere incustodyinconnection with the standoff.Greater Manchester Policetweeted that counter-terroroffi-cersmade thearrestsbutdidnotsayif theyfacedanycharges. AP

12THEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

THEWORLDWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

USATHOUSANDSLOSEPOWERAMIDWINTERSTORMAstrongwinterstormleftthousandswithoutelectricityacrossninestatesintheUS.AsofMondaymorning,200,000customersfromGeorgiatoNewYorkwerewithoutpower.IntheSouth,wheresomestatesdeclaredemergency,someareashadreceivedmorethannineinchesofsnow,whilepartsofSouthCarolinahaduptoahalf-inchofice,theNationalWeatherServicesaid.

UKRAINE

Ex-presidentlandsinKyivtofacetreasoncaseUKRAINE’S FORMERPresidentPetroPoroshenkolanded inKyivonMondaytofacetreasonchargesinacasehe sayswas trumpedupbyalliesofhissuccessor,President VolodymyrZelenskiy. In abrief stand-off at border control afterarriving on a flight fromWarsaw, he accused theborder guards of takingawayhispassport.Helateremergedtoacrowdofflag-wavingsupportersoutsidethe airport. Poroshenko’sreturnsetsupashowdownwith Zelenskiy's govern-ment inwhat critics say isan ill-judgeddistractionata time when Ukraine isbracing for a possibleRussianmilitaryoffensiveandappealing toWesternalliesforsupport.REUTERS

UkrainianformerpresidentPetroPoroshenkoinKyivonMonday.Reuters

TOPOFTHEWORLD

SWEDEN

Probeintodronesightingsover3nuclearplantsSWEDEN’SDOMESTIC se-curityagencysaidMondayithastakenovertheprelim-inary investigation intodronesthat lastweekwereseenhoveringover ornearthecountry’s threenuclearpowerplants.Atfirst,policesaidtherehadbeendronesover twonuclear plants—Forsmark, north ofStockholm, andOscarshamn in the south-east. The intelligence serv-ice, knownby its SwedishacronymSAPO,saidadronealso was reported over athirdnuclearpowerfacility,Ringhals, which is thelargest of themand sits onthecountry’swesterncoast.Policehavenosuspects.AP

NORTHKOREA

Short-rangemissilesfiredin4thlaunchthisyrNORTH KOREA fired twosuspectedballisticmissilesinto the seaMonday in itsfourthweaponslaunchthismonth, SouthKorea’smili-tarysaid,withtheapparentgoal of demonstrating itsmilitarymightamidpauseddiplomacywiththeUnitedStatesandpandemicborderclosures.SouthKorea’sJointChiefsofStaffsaidtheNorthlikelyfiredtwoshort-rangeballisticmissiles from anarea in Sunan, the locationof Pyongyang’s interna-tional airport. Themissileswere launched fourminutes apart Mondaymorning. AP

AttheCongregationBeth Israel synagogue inColleyville,Texas,onSunday.AP

FRANCESCOGUARASCIOBRUSSELS, JANUARY17

INFLUENZA HAS returned toEuropeatafaster-than-expectedratethiswinterafteralmostdis-appearing last year, raising con-cerns about a prolonged“twindemic” with Covid-19amidsomedoubtsabouttheef-fectivenessof fluvaccines.Lockdowns, mask-wearing

and social distancing that havebecomethenorminEuropedur-ing the Covid-19 pandemicknockedoutflulastwinter,tem-porarily eradicating a virus thatglobally kills about 650,000 ayear, according toEUfigures.Butthathasnowchangedas

countriesadoptlessstrictmeas-ures to fight Covid-19 due towidespreadvaccination.Since mid-December, flu

viruses have been circulating inEuropeatahigher-than-expectedrate, the European Centre forDisease prevention andControl(ECDC)reportedthismonth.InDecember, thenumber of

flu cases in European intensivecare units (ICU) rose steadily topeakat43inthelastweekof theyear, ECDC andWorld HealthOrganizationdata show.That iswell belowpre-pan-

demic levels—withweekly flucases in ICUs peaking at over400 at the same stage in 2018,for example.But it is abig increaseon last

year, when there was only oneflucaseinanICUinthewholeofDecember,data show.Thereturnof theviruscould

bethestartof anunusually longfluseasonthatcouldstretchwellintothesummer,theECDC'stopexpert on influenza PasiPenttinen toldReuters.“If we start to lift all meas-

ures, the big concern I have forinfluenza is that, because wehavehad sucha long timeof al-most no circulation in theEuropeanpopulation,maybewewillshiftawayfromnormalsea-sonalpatterns,”hesaid.He said dismantling restric-

tivemeasuresinthespringcouldprolong thecirculationof flu farbeyond the normal end of theEuropeanseason inMay.InFrance, threeregions—in-

cludingtheParisregion—arefac-ing a flu epidemic, according todata published by the Frenchhealthministrylastweek.Othersare inapre-epidemicphase.

Thisseason,Francehassofarrecorded72 serious casesof flu,withsixdeaths.Penttinensaiditwastooearly

tomakea final assessmentof fluvaccinesbecausealargernumberofillpatientswasneededforreal-worldanalyses.Butlabtestsshowthevaccinesavailablethisyear“arenot going tobeoptimal” againstH3strain,whichappearstobethedominantflustrainthisyear.That is largely because there

wasverylittleornoviruscirculat-ingwhen thevaccines’ composi-tionwasdecidedlastyear,makingitharderforvaccinemakerstopre-dictwhichstrainwouldbedomi-nantinthecomingfluseason.Fluvaccinesareadaptedevery

yeartomakethemaseffectiveaspossibleagainstever-changingfluviruses.Theircomposition isde-cided sixmonths before the fluseasonkicksin,basedoncircula-tion of viruses in the oppositehemisphere. REUTERS

‘LAS LUMINARIAS’ FEST BACK AFTER PANDEMIC BREAKAmanrideshishorse throughflamesduringtheannual“Luminarias”celebrationontheeveof SaintAnthony’sday,Spain’spatronsaintof animals, in thevillageof SanBartolomedePinares,northwestofMadrid,Spain,onSunday.Aboutahundredhorses jumpedthroughbonfires inapurificationceremonyduringthefestival,whichwasheld for the first timesincethestartof theCovid-19pandemic. Itwascancelled lastyearbecauseofpandemicrestrictions. “Thiscomesfromthousandsofyearsago.Sothatanimalsdidnotgetunwell, theoldpriestswouldbless themwithfiressothat theywould jumpandbepurified,” saidFerminAbad,64,a local resident.Reuters

JAMEYKEATENGENEVA, JANUARY17

CHINESE PRESIDENT Xi JinpingcalledMondayforgreaterworldcooperation against Covid-19and pledged to send an addi-tional 1 billion doses of vaccinetoother countries,whileurgingotherpowerstodiscarda“Cold-Warmentality” at a time of ris-ing geopolitical tensions — aveiledswipeattheUnitedStates.TheChineseleadertoutedhis

country’seffortstosharevaccines,fightclimatechangeandpromotedevelopmentathomeandabroadas he delivered the openingspeech of a virtual gatheringhosted by theWorld EconomicForum.Theonlineevent isbeingheldinplaceofitsannualJanuarymeeting inDavos, Switzerland,becauseofhealthconcernslinkedtothecoronaviruspandemic.He touched on standard

themesfromhisprevioustalkstointernational audiences, includ-ing responding tocomplaintsbyChina’stradingpartnersbyprom-

isingtoopenitsstate-dominatedeconomywider to private andforeigncompetition.“We need to discard Cold

Warmentality and seek peace-ful coexistence and win-winoutcomes.Ourworldtodayisfarfrom being tranquil,” said Xi,through a translator.“Protectionism and unilateral-ismcanprotectnoone.Theyul-timately hurt the interests ofothersaswellasone’sown.Evenworseare thepracticesof hege-mony and bullying, which runcounter to the tideof history.

“A zero-sum approach thatenlargesone’sowngainattheex-penseofotherswillnothelp,”headded.“Therightwayforwardforhumanity is peaceful develop-mentandwin-wincooperation.”Xi, who hasn’t left China

since the coronavirus emergedinearly2020, saidChinahadal-ready sent abroadmore than 2billiondosesof itsCovid-19vac-cinesandplanstoprovideanad-ditional1billion, includingado-nation of 600million doses toAfrica and an extra 150milliontoSoutheastAsia. AP

REUTERSBEIJING, JANUARY17

MAINLANDCHINA’S birth ratedropped toa record low in2021,datashowedMonday,extendingadownwardtrendthatledBeijinglast year to begin allowing cou-plestohaveuptothreechildren.China scrapped its decades-

oldone-childpolicy in2016, re-placing itwitha two-child limittotrytoavoidtheeconomicrisksfromarapidlyagingpopulation,but thehighcostof urban livinghas deterred couples fromhav-ingmorechildren.The2021rateof7.52birthsper

1,000peoplewasthelowestsince1949,whentheNationalStatisticsBureaubegan collating thedata,adding further pressure onoffi-cialstoencouragemorebirths.The natural growth rate of

China’s population was only0.034%for2021,thelowestsince1960. “The demographic chal-lenge is well known but thespeed of population aging isclearlyfasterthanexpected,”saidZhiweiZhang,chiefeconomistatPinpointAssetmanagement.

NATASHAFROSTJANUARY17

TWODAYS after a colossal vol-canic eruption spawned atsunamithatstrucktheislandna-tionofTonga,severedcommuni-cation lines left Tongans aroundtheworldwaiting anxiously fornewsoftheirlovedones,whileaidagenciesandthecountry’sPacificneighborsstruggledtoassessthescaleof thedamage.OnSaturdaynight,anunder-

seavolcanoabout40milesnorthof Tonga’smain island belchedash,gasandsteammorethan12miles into the air, creating acloud of sulfur dioxide over theregion,sendingparticlesdrifting

acrosstheislandanddisablingacrucialsubmarineinternetcable.Itwas believed to be the largestvolcanic eruption in threedecades, with the shock wavetravelling thousandsofmiles.Hours later, Tonga, a country

of around 100,000 people,waspummelledbyatsunami.Wavesof up to four feet hit Nuku’alofa,

theTongancapital.Footagesharedin the finalmoments before theinternet connection was cutshowedpeople running inland,searchingdesperately for highergroundinaveryflatcountry.The volcano, Hunga Tonga-

HungaHa’apai, eruptedagainonMonday but did not trigger atsunamiwarning.

Fatafehi Fakafanua, thespeaker of the LegislativeAssembly of Tonga, was able tosend out a message on socialmedia onMonday, describingthe tsunami’s impactas “devas-tating”andnotingthatthefallofvolcanic ash had affectedmanyareasof thecountry.“The full extent of the harm

tolivesandpropertyiscurrentlyunknown,”hesaid.“WhatwedoknowisthatTonganeedsimme-diateassistancetoprovideitscit-izenswith fresh drinkingwaterand food.”The loss of most communi-

cations,aswellasalingeringashcloud that had reached some63,000 feet high, havemade itdifficult for theoutsideworld to

get a picture of the situation inTonga. Both Australia and NewZealandsentsurveillanceflightsto the country onMonday buthadyet todetailwhat theysaw.That left thousands of over-

seas Tongans tomake dowithpiecemealvideossharedthroughtheisland’s fewsatellite links.SinivaValuFilise,wholivesin

Wales, isworriedaboutherpar-ents, 73 and 66,whose home ison thewesternsideof Tonga.Afriendwithaconnectionto

the Tonganmilitarywas able tobriefly confirm that her parentsweresafe,shesaid.Butsheisun-sure about their access to cleandrinkingwaterandfoodaftertheeruption left the layer of ashacross thecountry. NYT

ASSOCIATEDPRESSATLANTA, JANUARY17

THE US economy “has neverworkedfairlyforBlackAmericans—or, really, for anyAmerican ofcolour”, US Treasury SecretaryJanetYellensaidinaspeechdeliv-eredMonday,oneofmanybyna-tionalleadersacknowledgingun-met needs for racial equality onMartinLutherKingDay.Mondaywouldhavebeenthe

93rdbirthdayof theRev.MartinLuther King Jr.,whowas just 39whenhewasassassinatedin1968inMemphis,Tennessee.

“He knew that economic in-justicewasboundupinthelargerinjusticehe fought against. FromReconstruction,toJimCrow,tothepresent day, our economy hasnever worked fairly for BlackAmericans— or, really, for anyAmericanofcolour,”Yellensaidinremarksat theRev.AlSharpton’sNational ActionNetworkbreak-fastinWashington.

Europe faces threat ofprolonged ‘twindemic’

FLURE-EMERGES INCONTINENT

AtaprotestinParisonSaturdayagainstCovidrestrictions.Reuters

BEIJING:SHOPPER’SOMICRONCASEDRAWSNATIONALATTENTIONBeijing:A26-year-oldwomaninChina’scapitalBeijingwhocontractedtheOmicronstrainof Covid-19 has drawn na-tionalattentiononsocialme-diaforhershoppingtrips.Thewoman, who has not beenidentified by name, report-edlyvisitedhigh-endshopsinthe city before showingsymptomsofhavingthevirus.Herpresent conditionhasn’tbeen made public. Thewoman’scasewaswidelydis-cussedonlineandreflectsthegovernment’spainstakingef-fortstotrackdownandisolateevery virus case, alongwithidentifying and testing any-one an infectedpersonmayhavebeenincontactwith.AP

MONTHLYFINESFORUNVACCINATEDOLDERPEOPLE INGREECEAthens:Greece onMondayimposedavaccinationman-dateforpeopleoverage60,ascoverage remains below theEuropeanUnionaverageandarecentspikeininfectionshassustainedpressureonhospi-tals.Olderpeoplefailingtogetvaccinatedwillfacepenalties,startingata50-euro($57)finein Jan and followed by amonthly fine of 100 euros($114) after that. About two-thirdsofGreece’spopulationis currently fully vaccinated.The rate of death andhospi-talisationshas increased fol-lowing the recent spread oftheomicronvariant. AP

WORLDECONOMICFORUM

China’s Xi rejects ‘Cold Warmentality’, pushes cooperation

ChinesePresidentXiJinpingdeliversakeynoteaddressforthe2022WorldEconomicForumvirtualsession,onMonday.AP

China’s birthrate drops torecord low in ’21

COMMUNICATIONS LINES TO THE COUNTRY WERE SEVERED AFTER THE ERUPTION

In Volcano’s wake, agonising wait for news from TongaAnimageonsocialmediashowedtheeruptionof thevolcanoHungaTonga-HungaHa’apai.Reuters

EVENTHOUGHthe fluout-break inEurope thisyear isnotyetat the levels itusu-allygot to inpre-Covidpan-demic times, theuptick ininfluenzacases isworryingexpertswho fear it couldputevenmorepressureonthealreadystretchedhealthcaresystems inEuropeancountries. Furthercompli-catingmatters, thedomi-nant flu straincirculatingthisyearappears so far tobe theH3,whichusuallycauses themost severecasesamongtheelderly.

EvenmorepressureonhospitalsE●EX

PLAINED

REUTERSLONDON, JANUARY17

BRITAIN SAID on Monday itwouldfreezefundingfortheBBCfortwoyearsandbeginadebateonwhether a universal licencefeeshouldcontinueinthemod-ern television age, drawingOpposition complaints of “cul-tural vandalism”.Culture Secretary Nadine

Dorriestoldtheparliamentthatthe corporation, at the heart ofBritain’s cultural life, needed tobecomeasimpler, leanerorgan-isationatatimewhentheBritishpublicwerefacingrisingenergyandtaxbills.Dorriessaidthetaxonalltel-

evision-owninghouseholdsthat

funds thebroadcasterwouldbefrozen at 159 pounds ($217) ayearuntil2024,beforeitcanriseinlinewithinflationforthenextfouryears.Dorries said thenew licence

spendingsettlementwouldgivethe BBC around 3.7 billionpounds.Howeveranalystshavesaid a below-inflation budgetwill force the corporation to cutservices.The BBC, home to David

Attenborough’s natural history

programmesandentertainmentshows like Strictly ComeDancing, has clashed in recentyearswithPrimeMinisterBorisJohnson’s government, withministersaccusingitof failingtoprovide impartialnews.Lucy Powell, the Opposition

Labour spokeswoman for cul-ture, told Parliament that thefunding freezewasanattackononeof thebiggestinstitutionsinBritish public life, and accusedDorriesof “cultural vandalism”.

Britain to freeze BBC funding,consider future of licence fee

TheBBCclashedrecentlywiththeUKgovernment,withministersaccusingitof failingtoprovideimpartialnews.Reuters

USTreasurySecretaryJanetYellen

On MLK Day, Yellensays US economy isunfair to Black people

TWOTEENAGERSDETAINED INBRITAIN INCONNECTIONWITHTHEHOSTAGE-TAKING INTEXAS

Rabbi says he, 2 hostages escaped synagogue standoff

New Delhi

TRACKING INDIA’SCOVIDCURVE

DASHBOARD,ASONJAN16

SURGE IN THE STATES

TOTAL TESTS 70,37,62,282

INDIA TOTAL DOSES 157,20,41,825(Adults 1st dose:87,50,42,352; adults seconddose: 65,80,18,545;15-18agegroup 1st dose:3,45,32,745; precautionary doses:44,48,183)

■Firstdose ■Seconddose JANUARY 17: 44,26,371

Newcases2,58,089

Active cases16,56,341

Deaths385

Weekly CFR: 1.94% | Overall CFR: 1.39% | Total deaths:4,86,451

TESTSONJAN 16 WEEKLYPOSITIVITY OVERALLPOSITIVITY13,13,444 13.72% 5.31%

686DAYSSINCEPANDEMICBEGAN

State ON JANUARY16 WeeklyNewCases ActiveCases Deaths positivity

Maharashtra 41,327 265,346 36 20.41%Karnataka 34,047 198,011 13 12.89%TamilNadu 23,975 142,476 22 13.68%Delhi 18,286 89,819 28 27.80%Kerala 18,123 104,569 158 21.04%

ANJUAGNIHOTRICHABAJALANDHAR,JANUARY17

THEPOSTPONEMENTof theAssembly elec-tions inPunjabtoFebruary20underlinestheimportance of theRavidassia community inthestate.SeveralpoliticalpartieshadurgedtheElectionCommission for apostponement asthe earlier date of February 14would haveclashedwithGuruRavidas Jayanti, anannualoccasionduringwhichRavidassias travel toVaranasiinlargenumbers.Manyofthemtakea special train organised by the DeraSachkhandBallaninJalandhar,thelargestderaof theRavidassias.Ineveryelectionoverthelasttwodecades,

politicalpartieshavemademindfulofthelargenumbers of theRavidassia community andthe influence of theDera SachkhandBallan,andhavemadeanefforttowoothem.

WhoaretheRavidassias?TheRavidassias are aDalit communityof

whomthebulk —nearly12lakh—liveintheDoaba region. TheDera Sachkhand Ballan,theirlargestderawith20lakhfollowersworld-wide,was founded in the early 20th centurybyBabaSantPipalDas.OncecloselyconnectedwithSikhism,thederaseveredthesedecades-old ties in 2010, and announced theywouldfollowtheRavidassiareligion.ThederamadetheannouncementonGuru

RavidasJayantiinVaranasi.GuruRavidaswasamystic poet saint of theBhaktiMovementfromthe15thand16thcenturies,andfoundedtheRavidassia religion. From2010, theDeraSachkhandBallan started replacing theGuruGranthSahibwithitsownGranth,Amritbani,carrying 200 hymns of Guru Ravidas, inRavidassiatemplesandgurdwaras.

HowwastheDeraSachkhandBallanestablished?Itsfounder,BabaSantPipalDas,wasorigi-

nally HarnamDas fromGill Patti village inBathinda.Whenhiswife died, he left homealongwithhissonSarwanDas.TheyreachedSarmastpur near Jalandhar, and thenBallanvillage,where they settled in1895.Deraoffi-cialssaidBabaPipalDasandhissonstartedliv-ingunderadrypipaltree.Astheywateredit,itgraduallybloomed,earningtheBabathenameSantPipalDas.DeramemberssaidhewaswellversedinGuruGranthSahibbani,andbegantowin followers, including thosewho followedtheteachingsofGuruRavidas.HewentontoestablishtheDeraBallan.

After the death of Sant PipalDas, his sonSant SarwanDasheaded thedera from1928to 1972. There have been threemore headssince,nonechosenbyheredity.The third leader, Sant Hari Das, born at

Garhavillageof Jalandhar,spenthisentirelifeatDeraBallan.Thenextderahead(1982-94),SantGaribDasfromJalbhevillageinJalandhar,also spent his life at the dera, where he im-pressed Sant SarwanDas. The current head,SantNiranjanDas,bornonJanuary5,1942atRamdaspurvillageinJalandhar,isthesonofacouplewhoweredevotees of Sant PipalDasandwhoofferedtheirsontoSantSarwanDas,whogavehim thename “Hawaigar” for thespeedatwhichheperformedhisduties.

WhatisthesignificanceofGuruRavidasJayanti?Duringhistenure,SantSarwanDasunder-

tooktheworkofestablishingamemorialtem-pleinVaranasi.AfteridentifyingthebirthplaceofGuruRavidasatSeerGoverdhanpurvillagenearBanarasHinduUniversity,thederaboughtlandthere.Thefoundationstoneforatemplewaslaidin1965,anditsfirstphasecompletedin1970.NRIfollowerstoocontributedfunds.SeveralfollowersfromBallanstartedvisit-

ingthetempleand,overtime,itbecameaprac-ticetoobserveGuruRavidasJayantiinVaranasi.Gradually,thederainBallanbecamethelargestderaof theRavidassias. Since2000, theDeraSachkhandBallanhas been taking followers

on the Begampura Train from Jalandhar toVaranasionGuruRavidasJayantieveryyear.

Howsignificantisthederapolitically?Punjabhas thousandsof deras, small and

big.Becauseofthenumbersthesecommand,politicalleadershavingbeenvisitingthemforthe last several elections. These include theDera SachkhandBallan,whereparty leadershavevisitedandmetitshead.The Dera Sachkhand Ballan has never

openlysupportedanypoliticalparty,butwel-comedeveryvisitingpolitical leader. VisitorsthistimehaveincludedPunjabChiefMinisterCharanjit SinghChanni (Congress),Delhi CMArvindKejriwal(AAP),PunjabCongresspres-ident Navjot Singh Sidhu, Akali Dal chiefSukhbirBadal,andseniorBJPleaders.Ofthedera’s20lakhfollowersworldwide,

around15 lakh live in Punjab,mostly in theDoabaregionthathas23Assemblyseats(outofPunjab’s117).Around32%ofPunjab’spop-ulationcomprisesDalits,whoseconcentrationis highest inDoaba at 37% (19.48 lakhDalitsoutofaregionalpopulationof52.08lakh).And61%(11.88lakh)ofDoaba’sDalitsbelongtotheRavidassia community.Doabahashundredsofderas,besidesDeraSachkhandBallan.Thatexplainsrepresentationsmadetothe

ElectionCommissionbyseveralpoliticalpar-ties seeking apostponementof theelectionsonaccountofGuruRavidasJayanti.CMChanni,whohadwrittentotheECIseekingpostpone-

ment,isaDalitSikhfromtheRamdassiacom-munity, andhis elevationhad lifted all DalitgroupsincludingRavidassias.

HowassertivearetheRavidassias?Theyhavebeenveryassertivesince2009,

followingadeadlyattackby fundamentalistsonShriGuruRavidasTempleinViennaonMay24 that year. Around400devoteeshadgath-eredforareligiousservicewhentheattackersstruck,killingtheDeraSachkhandBallan’sthensecond-in-command,SantRamanand,andin-juring 30 including dera headNiranjanDas.The alleged attackerswere reportedly affili-atedtoagurdwarainVienna.TheViennaattacktriggeredriotsinDoaba,

mainly in Jalandhar, where curfew wasclampedfor15days.Thefissureitcausedinre-lationsbetweenSikhs andRavidassias led tothederaseveringitstieswithSikhismandan-nouncingtheywouldfollowtheRavidassiare-ligion.Ravidassiashavedemandedaseparatecolumnfortheirreligioninthe2021Census.AftertheViennaattack,Ravidassiasingers

composedspecialsongscentredontheircom-munityandreligionsothatpeopleofthecom-munitycouldplaythemattheireventsinsteadofplayingsongscomposedbyuppercasteJatSikhs. Lastyear, JatSikhs for the first timeob-servedGuru Ravidas Jayanti togetherwithRavidassias,becauseitwasimportantforbothcommunities to stick together during theprotestagainsttheCentre’sthreefarmlaws.

13WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

KRISHNKAUSHIKNEWDELHI, JANUARY17

WEST BENGAL Chief Minister MamataBanerjeewrotetoPrimeMinisterNarendraModi on Sunday saying she was “pro-foundly shocked” that West Bengal’stableau for the Republic Day parade “wasrejectedwithout assigning any reasons orjustifications”.Shementioned that the tableau com-

memorated the contributions of NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose and the INA on his125thbirthanniversaryyear.Earlier, Kerala officials had said the

state’s proposed tableau featuring SreeNarayanaGuru toohadbeenrejected.While the government is yet to an-

nouncethefinallistof tableauxselectedfortheparade, sourcessaid therewouldbe21—12fromstatesandUnionTerritories,andninefromcentralgovernmentdepartmentsor independent institutions.Officialsof theDefenceMinistry,which

is responsible for theparade and is the co-ordinating body for the tableaux, said that

theselectionisdonebyanexpertcommit-tee, and denied that political motivationswere involved.

Whendoestheprocess todecidethetableauxstart, andwhocanparticipate?Around September every year, the

DefenceMinistryinvitesallstates,UTs,cen-tral government departments, and a fewconstitutional authorities to participate intheparade throughtableaux.Lettersforthisyear’sparadewentoutto

80unionministriesanddepartments,all36states and UTs, and the ElectionCommissionandNitiAayogonSeptember16, 2021. Proposals were invited bySeptember27,andtheprocessof shortlist-ingbegan in thesecondweekofOctober.

Arethereguidelines forbuildingthetableaux?The participants must showcase ele-

ments relevant to their state/UT/depart-ment,withintheoverarchingthemeforthatyear’s parade. The theme given to partici-pants this yearwas India @ 75 – Freedom

struggle, Ideas @ 75, Achievements @ 75,Actions@75andResolve@75.According to DefenceMinistry guide-

lines, participating entities must engage“youngqualifieddesignersfromrenownedinstitutions”, and have electronic displaywalls for bright display of images or con-tent, moving elements using robotics ormechatronics, and 3D printing for certainelements. There should be use of aug-mentedorvirtualreality,andspecialeffectsto improveopticsandthevisual impact.Tableauxoftwostates/UTscannotbetoo

similar, and the tableaux should together

showcasethediversityof thecountry.Thetableauxcannothaveanywritingor

use of logos, except for the name of thestate/ UT/ department, which should bewritteninHindionthefront,Englishontheback, andaregional languageonthesides.TheMinistry also askedparticipants to

use eco-friendlymaterial, and to avoid theuseof plasticorplastic-basedproducts.

Howarethetableauxselected?TheDefenceMinistryconstitutesanex-

pert committee of distinguished personsfrom the fields of art, culture, painting,

sculpture,music, architecture, choreogra-phy,etc,whohelpindrawingupashortlistfromtheproposals.The committee scrutinises submitted

sketches or designs, and canmake sugges-tionsformodifications.Thesketchisexpectedtobesimple,colourful,and self-explanatory.If a traditional dance is involved, it

shouldbeafolkdance—andthecostumesandmusical instruments should be tradi-tional and authentic. A video of the dancemustbe includedwith theproposal.In the next stage, selected participants

must present three-dimensionalmodels,which are again examined by the expertcommittee.Inmakingthefinalselection,thecommitteelooksatacombinationoffactors,including visual appeal, impact on themasses,idea/themeofthetableaux,degreeofdetailinvolved,accompanyingmusic,etc.Thecommitteemeets foraroundhalf a

dozenroundsoveranumberofdays,elim-inating and shortlisting the proposals asthey go along. Only thosewho are short-listed, are informedabout thenext round.Theletter invitingparticipationclarified

thateven“finalselectiondoesnotguarantee

movementonRajpath in the finalparade, ifit has not been created in termsof the finalapprovedversionduringselectionround.”

Mustthetableauxbeof aparticularsize?TheMinistryprovideseachparticipant

with a tractor and a trailer, on which thetableaumust fit. No additional tractor ortrailer, or any other vehiclemay be used.The participant is allowed to replace theMinistry-provided tractor or trailer withothervehicles,butthetotalnumbershouldnotexceed two.The tractor has to be camouflaged in

harmony with the tableau’s theme.Participants can add ground elements tosometableaux, considering the theme.The Ministry stipulates a distance of

around 6 feet between the tractor and thetrailerforturningandmanoeuvring.Thedi-mensionsof the trailer are24 feet8 incheslongby8feetwide,and4feet2incheshigh.Thetrailerhasaload-bearingcapacityof10tonnes,andthetableaushouldnotbemorethan45 feet long, 14 feetwide, and16 feethigh fromtheground.

The Ravidassias of PunjabSIMPLYPUTQUESTION&ANSWER

Thepostponementof thePunjabelectionswill allowRavidassias to travel toVaranasi forGuruRavidasJayanti.Whyis it important forallpoliticalparties towoothiscommunityand its largestdera?

@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould likeexplained, pleasewrite to explained@indianexpress.comE EXPLAINED

THEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,JANUARY17

MALIKFAISALAkram,theBritishnationalwhowaskilledduringastandoffwithUnitedStatesfederal agents in a synagogue in FortWorth,Texas,wherehehad taken a rabbi and threeothershostageonSaturday,was“singularlyfo-cusedononeissue”,andhaddemandedtoseeawomanwhoisservinga jail termintheUS,accordingtolawenforcementofficials.USmediahave reported thatAkramwas

likelyreferringtoAafiaSiddiqui,ahighlyedu-cated Pakistani neuroscientist convicted onterrorismchargesin2010. Siddiquiisinafed-eralprisonforwomenlocatedlessthan40kmfromthesitewhereAkramwaskilled.Hehadclaimedheandthewomanhewantedtomeetwouldbe “going to jannah afterhe seesher”,theTexasDepartmentofPublicSafetyhassaid.

‘Ladyal-Qaeda’Siddiqui,whowas at one timedescribed

asthe“mostwantedwomanintheworld”and

“Ladyal-Qaeda”,hasbeenamotivatingfigureforIslamistsforyears.In2014,theIslamicStatemadeseparateof-

fers to release journalist James Foley and anAmericanwoman— later identified asKaylaMueller—inreturnforSiddiqui’sfreedom.TheTalibanandHaqqaninetworktriedtotradetheUSmilitarydeserterBoweBergdahlforher.Siddiqui,now49,wasborninKarachiand

studiedintheUSinthe1990s.ShewastrainedatMIT,andearnedaPhDinneurosciencefromBrandeisUniversityinMassachusettsin2001.In2002,accordingtotheFBI,sheopeneda

post office box in the name of Pakistani al-QaedasuspectMajidKhan,whoiscurrentlyattheGuantanamoBaydetentionfacility.Inaprofilepublishedin2010,TheNewYork

TimesreportedthatSiddiquimarriedhersec-ondhusbandAmmaral-Baluchi,anephewof9/11conspiratorandDanielPearl’smurdererKhalidSheikhMohammedandhimselfoneofthe financiers of the9/11attacks, in Pakistanin2003,andthendisappearedoutofsightforabout five years. Both Khalid SheikhMohammedandAmmaral-BaluchiarebeingheldattheGuantanamoBayfacility.Siddiqui was arrested in Ghazni,

Afghanistan, in July 2008, andwas allegedlyfoundinpossessionofhandwrittennotesona“masscasualtyattack”atmultiplesitesinNewYorkCity,aswellasonbuilding“dirtybombs”and chemical andbiologicalweapons. At anAfghanpolicestation,sheallegedlysnatchedarifleandfiredatUSArmyandFBIofficials.Shedidnothitanyone,butwasherself shotintheabdomenbytheofficials.On February 3, 2010, Siddiquiwas con-

victedonsevencounts,includinganattemptto

murderAmericans. Shewas sentenced to86yearsinprison,andisslatedforreleasein2082whenshewouldbe110yearsold.

‘Pak’s daughter’Thetrial—andsubsequentconviction—of

SiddiquigreatlyexercisedPakistanis.TheNYTreported at the time that “shehas becomeanationalsymbolofhonourandvictimisationsopotent thatpoliticiansof all stripes, Islamists,the newsmedia and an increasingly anti-Americanpublichavealllineduptochampionherclaimof innocence”.ThenPakistanPrimeMinisterYousafRaza

Gilanidescribedherasa“daughterof thena-tion”,andthenoppositionleaderNawazSharifdeclaredhewoulddoall that he could to se-cureherrelease.ThePakistangovernment extended legal

assistancetoSiddiqui,andhersister,DrFauziaSiddiqui,aneurologistwhostudiedandtaughtatJohnsHopkinsUniversity,ledahigh-profilepublic campaign inher favour. Pakistanime-diadescribedhertrialasafarce.Thiswasatimeofpeakanti-AmericanisminPakistan.

Aafia Siddiqui, Pakwoman linked to Texas terror

NEW CASES,DAILY

Jan7 Jan16LAST 10 DAYS

3,00,0002,25,0001,50,00075,000

0

2,58,089

1,41,986

1,59,632

1,79,723

1,68,063

1,94,720

2,47,417

2,64,202

2,68,833

2,71,202

Jan7 Jan16

60,00,000

30,00,000

0LAST 10 DAYS (daily)

23,96,219 13,93,546

37,01,511

SURGE IN THE CITIES, LAST 10DAYS

DELHI

Jan7 Jan16

30,000

15,000

0

17,33518,286

MUMBAI

Jan7 Jan16

25,000

12,500

0

20,9717,895

PUNE

Jan7 Jan16

12,000

6,000

0

4,41510,102

BENGALURU

Jan7 Jan16

25,000

12,500

0

6,812

21,071

KOLKATA

Jan7 Jan16

10,000

5,000

0

7,4843,893

CHENNAI

Jan7 Jan16

10,000

5,000

0

4,5318,987

22,22,087

PunjabDoaba

HoshiarpurBallanvillage

NawanshahrJalandhar

Kapurthala

DeraSachkhandBallan

20lakh followersworldwide15lakh InPunjab,mostly inDoaba

WHY DOABA MATTERS

23Assemblyseats

52.08 lakhpopulation(Census2011)

19.48lakhDalits (37%)

11.88 lakhRavidassias (61%ofDalitpopulation)

RavidassiyaspreparetoboardatrainfromJalandhartoVaranasi in2020,anannualtriporganisedbyDeraSachkhandBallanonGuruRavidas Jayanti.AnjuAgnihotriChaba

AafiaSiddiqui.AP

How the Centre chooses the tableaux for the Republic Day parade

WestBengal’s tableauduringthe2019RepublicDayparade.ExpressArchive

New Delhi

14 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

HIMACHAL PRADESHPUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

E-PROCUREMENT NOTICE

INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB)

1. The Executive Engineer, Nerchowk Division, H.P.PWD., Nerchowk H.P on behalf of Governor of H.Pinvitesthe online bids on item rate in electronic tendering system in 2 cover system for the following workfrom the eligible and approved Contractors/Firms registered with H.P.PWD., Department.

Sr. Name of Work Estimated EMD Cost Eligible class TimeNo Cost of Tender of Contractor Limit

1. Rs.9,11,24,243/- Rs.18,22,500/- Rs.5000/- “A&B” One &Half Year

Construction of Govt. I.T.I. Balh atNerchowk Mandi, Distt. Mandi(HP). (SH:-Construction ofBuilding potion with W.S. & S.I.,Septic Tank, Rain water harvest-ing system, Development of Siteand Boundary wall etc.)

1 Date of online publication 27-01-2022 at 11:30 A.M.

2 Document download start and end date 27-01-2022 at 11:30 A.M. up to 07-02-2022 at 10:30A.M.

3 Bid submission start and end date 27-01-2022 at 11:30 A.M. up to 07-02-2022 at 10:30A.M.

4 Date of technical bid opening 07-02-2022 at 11:30 A.M.

5 Physical submission of original documents i/c original EMD 07-02-2022 at 11:00 A.M.& Cost of Tender documents etc.

4. Tender Details:-The tender documents shall be uploaded on line in 2 cover.

i) Cover 1: shall contain scanned copies of all “Technical Documents Eligibility” information.ii) Cover 2: shall contain “BOQ/Financial bid” where contractor will quote his offer for each item.5. Submission of Original Documents: The bidders are required to submit (a) original demand draft

towards the cost of bid document and (b) original bid security/Earnest money Deposit (EMD) and otherTechnical Documents with this office as specified in key dates at Sr.No.5.failing which the bids will bedeclared nonresponsive.

6. Bid opening Detail: The bid shall be opened on 07-02-2022 at 11:30 HRs in the office of ExecutiveEngineer, Nerchowk Division HP.PWD., Nerchowk. If the office happens to be closed on the date ofopening of the bid as specified the bid will be opened on the next working day at the same time and venue.

7. The bid for the work shall remain valid for acceptance for a period not less than 90 days after the deadlinedate for bid submission.

8. Other details can be seen in the bidding documents. The officer inviting tender shall not be held liable forany delays due to system failure beyond its control. Even though the system will attempt to notify the bid-ders of any bid updates, the Employer shall not be liable for any information not received by the bidder. Itis the bidders’ responsibility to verify the website for the latest information related to the tender.

9. As per Govt. Notification No.PBW (B)A(3)1/2020-I dated 07.10.2021, in case the tendered amount of thelowest bidder comes more than 5% in 1st call the negotiation can be conducted with him but the negotiat-ed amount should remain within 5% of the amount put to tender (on market rate) and tendered amountbelow 30% of the estimated cost will be summarily rejected.

Executive Engineer,HP.PWD Division,

Nerchowk.HIM SUCHNA AWAM JANSAMPARK

6303/HP

2. Availability of Bid Document and mode of submission: The bid document is available online and bidshould be submitted online on website http://hptenders.gov.inbidder would be required to register in the web-site which is free of cost. For submission of bids, the bidder is required to have Digital Signature Certificate(DSC) from one of the authorized Certifying Authorities (CA). “Aspiring bidders who have not obtained the userID and password for participating in e-tendering in HPPWD may obtain the same from the website:http://hptenders.gov.in Digital signature is mandatory to participate in the e-tendering. Bidders already pos-sessing the digital signature issued from authorized CAs can use the same in this tender.

3. Key dates:-

HIMACHAL PRADESHPUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

e-Procurement NoticeINVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB)

1.The Executive Engineer HPPWD Jubbal Distt Shimla H.P on behalf of Governor of H.P invites the online bids on item rate,in electronic tendering system, in 2 Cover System for the under mentioned work from the eligible and approved contractors/Firmsregistered with HPPWD Department.

Executive Engineer,Jubbal Division HPPWD, Jubbal.6288/HP

Sr. Name of Work Estimated EMD Cost of Time Eligible ClassNo. Cost Tender of Contractor

1 14078524 281570 Rs.5000/- 2 Months Class C

2 10604028 212100 Rs.5000/- 2 Months Class C

Special repair to Jubbal Kenchi to Santoshinager Road Km 0/0 to 6/0(SH:-Providing 30mm thick Bitumioous concrete in Km 0/0 to 6/0 )

Special repair to Jubbal Kenchi to Santoshinager Road Km 0/0 to 6/0(SH:C/O Balance work of Bvitumenous Macadam,Steel Crashbarriers,Edge lines,Delinators and Road Dividers etx at various RDs )

Tender document and other instructions can be downloaded or viewed online from the portal https://hptenders.gov.in by the firm/individualregistered on the website which is free of cost.Key Dates:

1. Date of Online Publication 07.02.2022 11:00 HRS

2. Document Download Start and End Date 07.02.2022 1130 HRS upto 14.02.2022 1730 HRS

3. Bid Submission Start and End Date 07.02.2022 1130 HRS upto 14.02.2022 1800 HRS

4. Physical Submission of EMD and Cost of Tender Document 15-02-2022 1100 Hrs

5. Date of Technical Bid opening, 15.02.2022 1130 HRS

6 Evaluation of Technical Bid followed by Opening of Financial Bid. Date to be announced

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15SENSEX: 61,308.91 ▲ 85.88 (0.14%) NIFTY: 18,308.10 ▲ 52.35 (0.29%) NIKKEI: 28,333.52 ▲ 209.24 HANG SENG: 24,218.03 ▼ 165.29 FTSE: 7,592.60 ▲ 49.65 DAX: 15,943.55 ▲ 60.31

THEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

ECONOMYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Internationalmarketdatatill1900IST

GOLD`47,881

RUPEE`74.25

OIL$84.54

SILVER`61,005

Note:Gold, silverratesatDelhi spotmarket,goldper10g, silverper1kg;Crudeoil (Indianbasket)asof January14

ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,JANUARY17

WHILETHErecoverythathasbeenunderwayintheIndianeconomyisencounteringheadwinds froma rapid surge in Covid cases in athirdwavemarkedby the rapidtransmissibility of theOmicronvariant,expectationsthatthevari-antmay turnout tobemoreof a“flash flood than awave” havebrightenednear-termprospects,theRBIhassaid.Mobility indicators exhibited

a sequential moderation inJanuary.Googlemobility indicesdroppedbelowthebaselinenum-bersforretailandrecreationactiv-itiesandaroundworkplacesasof-ficesmade a quick transition toworkfromhomeprotocols(uptoJanuary8, 2022). TheApplemo-bilityindextumbledacrossallma-jor cities, although it remainedabove its pre-pandemic level.Electricitygenerationacceleratedthrough January so far, reachingpre-pandemic levels, theRBIsaidinits‘Stateoftheeconomy’report.Accordingtothecentralbank,

astheworldsteppedintothenewyear, the path of the recovery inIndia as in the rest of the global

economyencounteredheadwindsfroma rapid surge in infectionsdue toOmicron. “Nonetheless,amidst upbeat consumer andbusinessconfidenceandanuptickinbankcredit,aggregatedemandconditionsstayresilient,whileonthe supply front, rabi sowinghasexceeded lastyear’s levelandthenormalacreage,”theRBIsaid.Manufacturing and several

categoriesofservicesremaininex-pansion,itsaid.“Overalleconomicactivity in India remains strong,withupbeat consumerandbusi-ness confidence and upticks inseveral incominghigh frequencyindicators,” theRBI said. On thevaccinationfront, Indiahasmade

rapidstrides.OntheOmicronvari-ant, the recentdata fromtheUKandSouthAfricasuggestthatsuchinfectionsare66to80percentlesssevere,withalowerneedforhos-pitalisation,itsaid.TheRBIsaidthishas brightened near-termprospects and financialmarketsreflectthisoptimism.India’sdigi-talpaymentecosystemisalsoex-panding rapidly. In contrast, theglobaloutlookremainscloudedbyconsiderableuncertainty. “Infla-tioncontinuestomountacrossge-ographies amidst disruptions inproduction, supply chains andtransportation,”thereportsaid.Consequently, thedivergence

betweenmonetarypolicystancesacross jurisdictionshaswidened,theRBIsaid.Thereareindicationsthatsupplychaindisruptionsandshippingcostsareslowlyeasing,al-thoughthewaningofinflationmaytake longer. Thisprovidesawin-dowofopportunitytofocusallen-ergiesonacceleratingandbroad-eningtheglobalrecovery,itsaid.Meanwhile,asperaPTIreport,

anRBIarticleonfarmsectorchal-lenges said the country needs asecond green revolution alongwith the next generation of re-forms tomakeagriculturemoreenvironmentallysustainable.

REPORTOPTIMISTICONNEAR-TERMPROSPECTS

NewDelhi/Davos:Assertingthattheworldeconomicrecoveryfromthepandemic is very fragile andun-even,UnitedNations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres onMondaysaidinaspecialaddressattheWorldEconomicForum’son-lineDavosAgenda2022summitthattheglobalfinancialsystemhasfailed the low-incomecountrieswhentheyneededitthemost.The first 2 years of the pan-

demicsawincomeof99percentofhumanityfallandover16croreforcedintopoverty,saidanOxfamstudy.Another study said Indianbillionairessawcombinedfortunesmore thandouble duringCovidandtheircountshotupby39percentto142,whilethewealthofthe10richestisenoughtofundeduca-tionofchildren for25years.PTI

Jan: Omicronslows petrol,diesel sales

Billions still not on the Net: MittalNewDelhi/Davos: Bharti Enter-prises’ Chairman Sunil BhartiMittalonMondaysaidbillionsarestill noton the internet forwhichaffordabilityisakeyfactor.Speakingatadiscussionatthe

WorldEconomic Forum’sonlineDavosAgenda2022 summit, headded the industryalonecannotreach the lastmile andhuge in-vestmentswill be required in in-frastructuretoreachthatgoal.PTI

NewDelhi:WiththeimpactofthethirdCovidwavespreading,petrolanddieselsalesfellinthefirstfort-nightof January.Dieselsalesfell14.1percentto

2.47milliontonneduringJanuary1-15, over the same period lastmonth,and4.99percentovertheyear-ago period, as per prelimi-narydatafromstatefuelretailers.Petrolsaleswasat9,64,380tonne,13.81percentlowerthanthefirstfortnight of December and2.82percentlowerthanayearago.Brentwasup28cents, or 0.3

percent, to$86.34by1646GMT.WTIwasup36 cents, or 0.4 percent,at$84.18.WITHPTI,REUTERS

THERBIreportnotedthatthereareindicationsthatsupplychaindisruptionsandshippingcostsareslowlyeasing,althoughthewaningof inflationmaytakelonger,whichwillbekeenlytracked.

InflationholdskeyE●EX

PLAINED

Omicrona ‘flashfloodthanawave’;demandresilient:RBI

‘Covid hitconsumerconfidence’ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,JANUARY17

THE COVID pandemic severelydented consumer confidence inIndia,whichreachedhistoriclowsas the repercussionsof thewaveunfolded,theRBIsaidinastudy.“Sentiments of households

across stratawere influencedbythespreadof infectionsandfatal-ities. Therewasenduring impactonconsumers’sentimentsontheirownfinancialconditionsaswellasthegeneral economic situation–withthelatterincreasinglydrivenbytheformer,”theRBIstudysaid.It saidconsumers incities se-

verely hit by the pandemic ex-pressedmorenegativesentimentascomparedtorespondentsintheothercities.Respondents’expecta-tions for theyear ahead showedfaith in economic recovery aftersubsidenceofthepandemic,itsaid.

REUTERSBEIJING,JANUARY17

CHINA’SECONOMYreboundedin2021 with its best growth in adecade,helpedbyrobustexports,but thereare signs thatmomen-tumisslowingonweakeningcon-sumptionandapropertydown-turn,pointingtotheneedformorepolicysupport.Growth in the fourthquarter

hitaone-and-a-half-yearlow,gov-ernmentdatashowedonMondayshortly after the central bank

moved topropup the economywithacuttoakeylendingrateforthefirsttimesinceearly2020.Theeconomygrew8.1percent

lastyear—itsbestexpansionsince2011—andfasterthanaforecast8per cent. Theeconomyrecordeditsweakestgrowth in44years in2020butstageda faster recoverythanothermajoreconomies.GDPgrew4percentinthefinal

quarter, National Bureau ofStatisticsdatashowed.

2021SEESFASTESTGROWTH INADECADE

ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI, JANUARY17

AHEADOFtheUnionBudget,banks have pushed for low-ering fixed deposit (FD)tenure from five years tothree years for availing taxbenefits as applicable in thecaseofmutualfundproductslike equity-linked savingsscheme(ELSS).On the other hand, the

AssociationofMutual FundsinIndia(AMFI)hasaskedthegovernment to allow the in-troduction of debt-linkedsaving scheme (DLSS) withtax benefits on the lines offive-yearbankdeposits.Initspre-Budgetproposal

to the government, theIndian Banks’ Association(IBA),theapexbodyofbanksinIndia,saidthefive-yearFDhas become less attractive.As of now, the tax break isavailable on 5-year tax-sav-ing FD schemes of banks. Adepositor can claim incometax deduction by investingmoney in a five-year FDschemeunderSection80Cofthe ITAct, 1961.“Ascompared toother fi-

nancial products (such asELSS)availableinthemarket,the tax-saver fixed deposit(FD) has become less attrac-tive and if the lock-in periodis reduced, thiswouldmakethe productmore attractiveand providemore funds tothe banks,” the IBA said in a

pre-Budgetproposalsubmit-ted to the government. Thelock-in period should be re-ducedtothreeyearsfromtheexisting five years, the IBAsaid.ELSS fundscomewithalock-inperiodof3years.Meanwhile,theAMFIhas

proposed thatmutual fundsshould be allowed to intro-ducelow-cost,lowerrisktax-exemption-linked DLSS onthe linesof ELSS.InitsBudgetproposalsfor

2022-23 to the FinanceMinistry, AMFI said invest-mentof up toRs1.5 lakhun-der DLSS should be eligiblefor tax benefit, subject to alock-inperiodoffiveyears,asinthecaseof taxsavingbankfixeddeposits.It also asked the govern-

ment to bring uniformity intaxationonlisteddebtsecuri-ties and debtMFs and bringparity in tax treatment be-tweenMFs and unit-linkedinsuranceplans(ULIPs).BothMFsandULIPsinvestinsecu-rities. Currently, ELSSqualifyfortaxbenefitsunderSection80CCCof the IncomeTaxActfor an investment limit of uptoRs1.5lakhinafiscalyear.It has proposed to lower

theminimumholdingperiodforLTCGpurposesinthecaseof gold and silver ETFs fromthreeyears tooneyear.

SECTORWATCHBANKING

AMFIhasaskedthegovernmenttoallowintroductionofdebt-linkedsavingschemewithtaxbenefitsonthelinesof5-yearbankdeposits

BUILDUPTOBUDGET

2022-23

Parity with ELSSfunds: IBA bats forcutting tax-free FDtenure to 3 years

■Grossdomesticproductgrew4percent inthefinalquarter,NationalBureauofStatisticsdatashowed

4%Q4GDPGROWTHRATE

China grows 8.1% on exports boost

BorgeBrende,WEFpresident,andUNSecretary-GeneralAntonioGuterresatDavosAgenda2022, inCologny.AP

Corrigendum dated 11.01.2022 to Tender NoticeNo.RWF/S/004/2021-22 Dated 09/11/2021The Tender due dates of Open TenderNumber P2215743 viz. Auto Lancing Systemand P2215675 viz. PNG Pipeline to SPC Bayare postponed from 10/01/2022 to 09/02/2022at 15.00 hrs. All the other terms andconditions remain unaltered.

Principal Chief Materials Manager

RAIL WHEEL FACTORYYelahanka, Bangalore – 560064

FAX:080-28460367, PH:080-28072712Website: www.rwf.indianrailways.gov.in

e-mail:smm.p3.rwf@gmail.com

Recovery fragile, says UN chief

REUTERSWASHINGTON,JANUARY17

THECHIEFexecutivesofmajorUScarriersonMondaywarnedofanimpending“catastrophic”aviationcrisisonWednesdaywhenAT&TandVerizonaresettodeploynew5Gservice.The airlineswarned thenew

C-Band5G service couldpoten-tiallymakea significantnumberofwidebodyaircraftunusableand“couldpotentially strand tens ofthousands of Americans over-seas.”“Unlessourmajorhubsarecleared to fly, thevastmajorityofthe travelingandshippingpublicwill essentially be grounded,”wrote the chief executives ofAmericanAirlines,DeltaAirLines,UnitedAirlines,SouthwestAirlinesand others. The letter went toWhiteHouseNationalEconomicCouncil director Brian Deese,Transportation Secretary PeteButtigieg,amongothers.

US airlineCEOs warn5G couldground planes,wreak havoc

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,JANUARY17

THEGOVERNMENThasreceivedmorethanRs6,600croreasdivi-dendtranchesfromadozencen-tral public sector enterprises(CPSEs),aseniorofficialsaid.InatweetonMonday,Depart-

ment of Investment and PublicAssetManagement(DIPAM)Secr-etary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said,“GovernmenthasreceivedaboutRs 972 crore and Rs 2506 crore

fromNuclearPowerCorporationof India Limited (NPCIL) andPowerGridCorporationof IndiaLimitedasDividendtranches.”HindustanAeronautics, Bha-

rat Electronics, HLL Lifecare Ltd,FAGMIL andNSIC have givenRs351crore,Rs149crore,Rs19crore,Rs12croreandRs31croreasdiv-idend tranches, respectively, headded.“Governmenthasreceivedabout Rs 1605 crore and Rs 913crore fromNMDC andGAIL re-spectivelyasDividendtranches,”hesaidinanothertweet.

AboutRs42crore,Rs26croreand Rs 25 crorewere receivedfromCentralWarehousingCorpo-ration,NationalHighwaysInfrast-ructureDevelopment Corporat-ion and WAPCOS, the DIPAMSecretaryfurthertweeted.Inaggregate,thegovernment

received Rs 6,651 crore as divi-dend onMonday from these 12companies.With this, total pro-ceeds fromdividend frompublicsector enterprises reached closeto Rs 40,000 crore for financialyear2021-22sofar.WITHPTI

$35 billion were raised by Indian startups in over1,000 rounds of funding in 2021

Over $10 billion was invested in Indianstartup ecosystem in October-December

‘More than 100 startups with over$1-billion valuations by 2022-end’

50startupsinIndiahavethepotential

toachievethecoveted‘unicorn’status, i.e.valuationof$1billion, in2022

43startupswereaddedtothelist in

2021andthenumberof

unicornsshotupto68bytheendoftheyear

HUGESPIKE incompanyvaluationsinthelistedandunlistedspacewaswitnessedlastyear

Source: PwCIndia/PTI

The list of the new-age startups in the country valued atover $1 billionwill be at least 100 by the end of the year,a report by PwC India said

FROM12CENTRALPUBLICSECTORENTERPRISES

Govt gets `6,651 cr dividend

Mumbai:Thebenchmark10-yearbondyieldhitatwo-yearhighonMonday, trackinganuptick inUSyields and a continued rise inglobal crudeoil priceswhichhasraised expectations of rate in-creasesbytheRBI.Thebenchmark10-yearyield

rose6basis points fromFriday’sclose to6.64per cent, its highestsince January 22, 2020, as per aReutersreport.USTreasuryyieldsrose and stayed higher in Asiatradeas soft consumerwas seenasnot enough toderail the Fed’spathoftighteningpolicy.Market capitalisationof BSE-

listed companies, asper aPTI re-port,jumpedtoanall-timehighofoverRs280lakhcrore.AGENCIES

6.60

6.61

6.62

6.63

6.64

6.65

10-year bond yield (%)Intra-day, Jan 17

Open Close

6.64

6.609Previous close: 6.582

Yield hits2-year high

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,JANUARY17

INDIA’S POLICYof keepinghightariffonimportofelectroniccom-ponents to protect thedomesticindustriesisprovingcounterprod-uctivetoitsplanssuchasProduct-ionLinkedIncentive(PLI)schemeandmaking the Indian electron-icsmanufacturingindustryunco-mpetitivecomparedtootherelec-tronicsmanufacturing nations,theIndianCellularandElectronicsAssociation(ICEA)saidinareport.Comparing theperformance

oftheIndiatoothercountriessuchas China, Vietnam,Mexico andThailand,whichwere themajorgainersofelectronicproductsex-port over the last 20 years, theICEA said thatwhile all of themhadfocussedonattractingforeigndirectinvestment,improvingdo-mestic capabilities and exports,Indiahadonemajordifferenceinpolicywhenitcametotariff.“Themaindifference in their

policyapproachisthetariffpolicyofIndiacomparedtoothers.Indiahasreliedheavilyonhighertariffswhereasothercountrieshavenotdone so.Higher tariffs orient the

approachofinvestorsanddomes-tic producers away fromglobalmarketsandtowardsthedomes-ticmarket.Notably,theexportsforIndiacomparedwithothershaveremainedlowashasbeenexam-inedinthisreport,”thereportsaid.Since2019,Indiahasintrodu-

cedahost of PLI schemes aimedat improving the domestic pro-ductionofelectroniccomponentssuchasmobilephones, chargers,LEDs, liquid crystal display andLEDpanels,aswellasalliedcom-ponents suchas chargerpins, vi-brators formobile phones, frontandbackpanelsamongothers.

‘High import tariffs making domesticelectronics producers uncompetitive’

BRIEFLYTelecomlicenceNew Delhi: The DoTamended telecom licencesto enable service providersto roll outmachine-to-ma-chine communication, aservice considered a keydriverof5Gadoption.

HCLTechhiringNewDelhi:HCLTechnologiesCEOCVijayakumar saidheexpects risingattritionratestostabiliseinfuturequarters.Thefirm,whichplanstohire20,000-22,000 freshers thisfiscal,saiditcoulddoublethenumberinFY23.

TechMbuysNewDelhi: TechMahindrabought 100% in Europe-based Com Tec Co IT for€310millionand25%inin-surtech platforms SWFTTechnologies and Suranceplatformfor€20million.

CholaInvdealNewDelhi:CholamandalamInvestment and FinanceCompanyplanstobuy72.1%infintechpaymentsolutionsproviderPayswiffTechnolo-giesforRs450crore. PTI

AmazonUK,VisaLondon:Amazonwon’tstopacceptingUK-issuedVisaInccredit cards on its Britishwebsiteasithadproposed.

CreditSuisseGeneva:CreditSuissesaiditsBritish-Portuguesechairm-an Antonio Horta-Osorioquit after an internal probeshowed he allegedly vio-latedquarantinerules.

CiticonsumerbizMumbai: Axis Bank is thefrontrunnertobuyCiti’sco-nsumer business in India,valuedataround$1.5billion,twosourcessaid. REUTERS

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,JANUARY17

SEBIISexaminingintroductionofan alternate dispute resolutionmechanism,with anaim topro-vide an effectivemechanism forsettling disputes between in-vestorsandregulatedentities(RE),areleasesaidonMonday.The Securities andExchange

BoardofIndia(Sebi),inNovemberlast, published the ‘InvestorCharter’ for securitiesmarkets tofurther strengthen its efforts toprotect investor interests, pro-mote transparency inmarketsandenhanceawareness,trustandconfidenceamonginvestors.Effortshavebeentakentoen-

hancetheeffectivenessofinvestorgrievance redressalmechanism.It hasbeenpublishing the statusofdisposalof investorgrievancesreceived in SCORES (Sebi Comp-laintsRedressSystem)onitsweb-siteonamonthlybasis,Sebisaid.Also,detailsofinvestorgrievancespending for over threemonthswithdifferent intermediariesarebeingpublished.Inaddition,“Sebiisalsoexam-

ining, in consultationwith regu-latedentities,thepossibilityofin-troducing alternate disputeresolutionmechanisminvariousagreements (whereverpossible)between the regulated entities

andtheirclients,” itadded.Meanwhile, Sebi has cut the

timeline for filing settlementap-plicationstojust60daysfromthecurrent 180 days in its effort tomakethesystemmoreefficient.Further, the regulator has re-

laxedpricing norms and lock-inrequirementstomakeiteasierforcompaniestoraisefundsthroughpreferentialallotmentofshares.Ithasallowedpledgingofsharesal-lotted to promoter or promotergroup under preferential issueduringthelock-inperiod,accord-ingtoanotificationSebialsoputacaponusageof

initial public officer proceeds forunidentified future acquisitionsand restricted the number ofshares thatcanbeofferedbysig-nificantshareholders.WITHPTI

Sebi plans revamp ofinvestor charter, disputeresolution system

Sebibuilding,Mumbai.Theregulatoriseyeinganeffectivemechanismtosettledisputesbetweeninvestorsandregulatedentities. File

New Delhi

OnherUPexperienceand thepolitical situation in the stateI think thosewho are in the knowof the

politics and themechanismsof howsociallyUPhas evolvedover the years, can ascertainfor you a BJP victory in the forthcomingAssembly elections.Mygrandfather is fromMoradabad, somymemories from the stateare plenty. However,mypoliticalmemoriesarealsodistinct. I’vehadtheprivilegeof serv-ing the Lok Sabha constituency of Amethi. IcontestedfromAmethiin2014withjust20to25daystocontest.TheBJPhadneverclockedmore than30,000 votes. But in those 20-25days,our transitionwasfrom30,000votes tothree lakh votes. Forme, itmeant as thoughtherewere peoplewaiting for change. I’mgratefulthatmypartyconsideredmeagainasacandidatefromAmethi,andwecouldbringvictorytothepartythere.

Onescalatingpolarisation in thecampaign inUPIdon’tknowwhyyoudonotseepolarisa-

tionwhentheSamajwadiPartyleaderspeaksaboutseeingLordKrishnainhisdreams.Whyyoudon’tseepolarisationwhenyouhaveMrsVadragoandpayrespectsatamosque.Idon’tseewhyyoudon’t seepolarisationwhenMrGandhiwearsajaneuoverhiscoat.Whyisthetaunt of polarisation or the question posedonlytoaBJPleader?Thefoundationonwhichthe UP election is being fought is the issueofdevelopment.

Onwhetherpolarisationcoulddrownoutother issuesIdon’tthinkanythingwilldeflectfromthe

issueofdevelopment.Recently,thechiefmin-isterwas inmy constituency andwe spokeaboutinfrastructure,whichwasneverbuiltina constituencywhich sawtheGandhi familyfor50years.ThefamilyhadbefriendedeverypoliticalorganisationinUP—SamajwadiPartyandBSPwere extremely close to theGandhifamily and theywerepart of a coalition gov-ernment.However,tokeepthefruitsofdevel-opmentawayfrompeopleissomethingwhichis amatter of conversation among citizens. Idon’t thinkyou candeny that this election isasmuchaboutdevelopmentas itisaboutthebad legacyof governancewith regards to theSamajwadiPartyortheCongressParty.

Onpolitical parties increasinglyseeingwomenasavotebankWomenasvotebankshavebeen consid-

eredonlybythosewhohavesuddenlydiscov-eredthatwomenhavebeenmorethanaggres-sive about their political opinions, or for thatmatter,theirvote.It’sbeenhearteningtoseeaPMwhoputwomen’sagendaatthetopofhisprioritiesintermsofgovernance.

Onwhetherwomenarevotingindependentof howtheirfamiliesdoOnecannotdisregardthattherehavebeen

segments in our communitywherewomen

have been compelled to vote in a particularway.ButIthinkthisnewIndiaisaboutwomenunderstanding their right to choosepoliticalpartiesonthebasisofdevelopment.

Onraising theageofmarriageforwomen from18 to21yearsWhenIintroducedtheamendmenttothe

Prohibition of ChildMarriage,when I spokeabouttheneedforwomentohaveequalrightsasmentoenterintomatrimonyattheageof21,therewassupportfromacrossthenation,fromwomenacross all communities and all reli-gions.TheonlynaysayerswerethemenwhowereinthatHouse,makingthatnoise. Ithink

thatwhen it comes to such issues,wehaveseenwomencongregate.

Oncriticismthat theBillproposes to criminalise a largesectionofmarriagesI thinkthat isoneof thegreatest rumours

thathasbeenspread.Thosewhoseektodisen-franchisewomenwithregards to theright toequality are thosewho are propagating thisfalsehood... The fact that after75yearsof ourcountry’sindependence,womenandmendidnotgettoentermatrimonyatthesameage,isamatter of deep regret. That iswhywhen I

went to theHouse to introduce that amend-ment, I did sobelieving, and I do so again to-day, that it is the right to equality thatmani-festsitself throughtheamendment.

Onthe targetingofMuslimwomenvia appsWomen,irrespectiveoftheirreligion,have

beendeniedtheirdignityonsocial-mediaplat-forms. I’mgrateful that thepoliceare investi-gatingthisissue.Iamabsolutelyconfidentthatthosewhoareguiltywillbepunished...Butdowomengetexplicitlyobjectifiedonlythroughoneapp?No.As I cametothisconversation, Ihad aworld champion,Ms (Saina)Nehwal,whowasdemeanedforherpoliticalpositionbyaso-calledpopularactor,amanwhowouldhaveknownbetter.SoIthinkweneedtolookattheissueholistically.

Onwhetherherbook Lal Salaamreflects a shift of political focusonNaxalismI didn’t look at the book fromapolitical

prismatallandespeciallynotwithregardstothetransitionthatyousodescribedtodaybe-tweenManmohanSinghandPMModi.Ithinkthatthebookhasstemmedfromapoliticaltel-evisiondebateadecadeago,whereoneofthepanelistswasveryoff-handishaboutparamil-itary forceswhomet a gruesomedeathdur-ingaNaxalattack. Forme, theragestemmedfromthenonchalancewithwhichthelivesofourparamilitaryforceswerespokenof.

Onthe increasingpolarisationin societyI thinknowthere is a voicewhich is talk-

ingback.Earlier,therewerevoiceswhichwereinmonologues.Ithinkthatiswhathasbefud-dledmany. Thereweremanywho thoughtthattheyaretheepitomeof intelligence,nowtheyarebeingchallenged.Thosewhorecognisethatthestarknessof

thepolarityyouspeakabout canbereducedifeverybodyiswaitingorwantingtogivealis-ten,Ithinkthatiswhenconversationscanbe-gin.Celebrationofatruedemocracyisthatir-respective of ideologies, we can cometogether, become part of a conversation.Celebration of a democracy iswhenwe allagreetodisagree.

Onhowher friendsoutsidepolitics viewher todayIt is extremely essential forme as a hu-

manbeing tohave conversationswithpeo-ple from allwalks of life.When I spent twotermsintheRajyaSabha, IwouldhaveequalamountofopportunityoftalkingtoDRaja,asIwouldhavewithRajeev,whowasaKeralapolitician from the Left, and with JairamRamesh, Mallikarjun Kharge or AnandSharma.WhenwecometogetherundertheConstitution, in Parliament especially, ourcause isonlyoneandthat is India. Forme, itdoesn’tmatterwhatyourideologyis,aslongas you’re respectful in your disagreementandyou’rerespectfulofmyConstitutionandmycountry.

MONALKABRAFOUNDER,SOLARDESKHowdidyoubalancechildrenandademandingcareer?Whataretheinitiativesyouwouldhavetakenthenandnowforbetterchildcareinfrastructure?

IworkedasaprofessionalwhentherewasaCongressgovernmentat theCentreandhadnohopesof receivinganysupport.Thisgovernmenthaspronounced26weeksofmaternity leave.ThePradhanMantriMatruVandanaYojanaprovidesfor lossofwageswhenawomanneedstogetinoculatedduringpregnancy.Institutionaldeliverieshavegoneup.Theneedtomandateacrecheatworkplaces isbeingpronouncedbythisgovernment.The labourcodesthatweresimplifiedspeakforthesekindof rights.AccesstogoodtransportsystemsundertheNirbhayaFundhavebeensupportedbytheGoI.Wehavewomenhelpdesksacrossallpolicestations.Onhowdid Imanagebetweenchildrenanda job, thatquestion itselfsmacksofgenderdisbalance.

SUDARSHANSUCHICEO, SAVETHECHILDREN, INDIA

Giventhat40percentofourpopulation is theyouth,canwe lookforabudgetwithadedicatedsectionforchildren?Canweexpectthegovernmenttocomeforwardwithadedicatedministryforchildwelfare?

Whatneeds tobesaid iswhenweserve thecauseofchildren, dowe limit it only totheWomenandChildDevelopmentdepartment?Whenwetalkabout theprotectionofchildren,weseeapartnershipbetween theWomenandChildDevelopmentMinistry and theMinistryofHomeAffairs andstategovernments.Whenwe lookatchildren in the tribal belts,weworkactivelywith theTribalMinistry.Whenwe lookatchildrenwithdisabilities,weworkwith theMinistryofSocialJusticeandEmpowerment.Whenwe lookatchildren fromtheNortheast, our engagementis strengthenedwith thedepartmentofDoNER.Whenwe lookatchildren fromthehealthperspective, therearemany flagshipschemes thatarenowcentralised in theMinistryofHealth.

With regard to thebudget,though theWomenandChildDevelopmentMinistryhasabudget thatoscillatesup toRs23,000crore, onealsoneeds toconsider thebudgetsofother suchministries thatequally serve thecauseofchildren inourcountry.

‘Earlier thereweremonologues.Now there is a voice talking back’

Eminent guestswhoparticipated in the e.Adda includeMannikaChopra,Managing Editor, Council for Social Development; Jaya Jaitly, Founder andPresident,Dastkari Haat Samiti;Kirit Parikh,Chairman, IRADe;KrishanKantRathi,MD, First Bridge FundManagers;Atul Choksey,Chairman, Apcotex Industries;PoonamDabas,Executive Editor, Centre forMedia and Strategic Studies;Ajai Kumar,Director, Indiabulls AMC;Pankaj Satija,MD, Tata SteelMining;Urvashi Butalia,Director, ZubaanBooks;KSudarshan,ManagingDirector, EMAPartners India; SevantiNinan,Columnist, The Telegraph India;

MeenakshiGopinath,Chairperson, Centre for Policy Research;Vivek Jain,ManagingDirector, DCW;Mridul Shah,ManagingDirector, Aamara Capital

Attherecente.Adda,UnionMinisterforWomenandChildDevelopment,Smriti IranispokeontheBilltoraisethelegalageofmarriageforwomeninIndia,polarisationinsocietyandturningauthorwithLalSalaam

RCSONIINDIAADVISOR,WORLDECONOMICFORUM

ThereisaUNESCOreport,asurveythatsays47millionchildreninIndiadropoutofseniorsecondaryschoolandmostofthemaregirls.Whatareyoudoingonthisfront?

IthinkthatthenumbersaretoberevisedgiventhatnowtheGovernmentofIndiagetsUDISEnumbersfromthestategovern-ments.Asfarasthedropoutofgirls intheschoolsystemgoes,therearetwoverticalsunderwhichthisdataisdrawn—oneundertheschooldepartment,theotherundertheanganwadisys-temwheretheGoInowprovidessupporttodrop-outgirls inthean-ganwadisystemandthatprovi-sioninfactentailsthatwematchthatdata.Thereisadatagapofninelakhwomen,which,nowincollaborationwithstates,hasbeenrectified.SothedatamaybedatedasfarastheUNESCOreportgoes.Thisisa2016report,whichtheMHRDdidnotfullysupport.

However,onehastoagreethatthetransitionofyoungwomenfromschoolstohighereducationinstitutionsisstillachallenge.Moreso,whenitcomestotechnicalandtechnological in-stitutions.OneofthechallengesstemsfromthefactthatmoregirlsarenotinclinedtowardsSTEMsubjectsbecausetheyhavenotbeengiventhatpro-nouncedsupport inschool.

Ourintentionneedstobetopropagatetheownershipoftech-nologybymorefemale-ledenter-prises.Evenintermsofacademicappointments,youseeveryfewwomenleadinginstitutions.AsMinisterofEducation, Ihadtheprivilegeofappointingthefirst-everwomantoleadtheIITcouncil,TessyThomas,who’snowleadingDRDO.IalsoensuredthatmostoftheNITswereledbythem.

DRANTONYKOLLANNURINDEPENDENTMONITOR,NATIONALHEALTHMISSION,GOVERNMENTOF INDIAThereisnosystemforpsychosocialstimulationfor0-3yearsofageinICDS.Whatisyourplanforthesame?

TheMinistry, incollaborationwith theMinistryofEducation, is lookingatanewmoduleunder earlychildhoodeducation,which isaneed in theanganwadisystem.Wearecollaboratingwith theNCERT.We’vealsorequestedstakeholders togivetheir inputs.Whenyou talkaboutpsychosocialcounselling, especially forchildren, incollaborationwithNIMHANS,ayearagowestartedacounsellingprocessacrossall childcareinstitutions, ensuring thatdutybearers in such institutionshaveaccess topsychosocialcounselling.Under theprojectcalledSAMVAD,wehavegivensupport tooverone lakhsuchcasesunder theaegisofNIMHANS.Wearehoping toexpand theseservices.

VNDALMIADIRECTORANDFORMERCHAIRMAN,DALMIACONTINENTAL

Whenthemarriageableagewas21formalesand18forfemales,therewasanagegap.Ifitbecomes21forbothandsomeonewantstomaintainthegap,themalewillhavetobeolder...Wouldwomenhaveachoiceinaruralsettingwherethereisparentalinsistenceonanearliermarriage?

What is the insistenceonhavingamanolder thanyouandnotof thesameagewhenyouenter intomatrimony?Letit beawoman’schoice... Therewill bea lawfor that insistencethen tobe illegallyheld. Itwillbeawomen’s right tochooseinanurbanor rural setup.

SUVIRSARANCHEF,AUTHORANDEXPRESSCOLUMNISTCanawomanasgraciousandgenerousasyoureallybewhatpeoplecallconservative?

What isaconservative?ThePMgave theright tomedical terminationofpregnancyupto24weeks forwomen.This is an issue that ispronounced in theUSasa liberal issue.Therewasnostructuredadministrativeprotocol for

surrogacy inourcountry. It is theModigovernment thatbroughtabout legislationthatprotects the rightsofwomen, childrenand familiesunder theaegisof surrogacy. It isthePMwho, aspart of anationalistgovernment, enhancedmaternity leave to26weeks.These issuesarenormallypresumedtobe liberal issues.Sohowdo I lookatmyself? Ilookatmyself asahumanist andanationalist.

PANKAJCHADHACEO, JYOTISTEELConsideringwhatyou’vestatedaboutthedevelopmentprogress inUP, isthereaneedinthe lightofthethirdwavetohavesuchanoverdrive intheUPelectionbytheBJP?

Even the issues that I have flagged today,somemaysay that I havebeenonanoverdrivetalkingaboutmygovernment’sachievements.

If it ismydesire toexpress thegoodworkdone,then thedemocratic setup thatweareapartofaffordsus that right. I understand that theother sidehasnotdonemuchand,hence,cannotspeakmuchon issuesofdeadlock,but that isacauseofconcern limited to them. Inso far asmypartygoes, I’mextremelyproud thatmypartycoulddosomuchwork thatwespeaksomuchabout it.

16THEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

EXPRESSADDAWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

SonyandZeemerger.Goodorbadforcontentcreators?Iwould stayoutof the realmbecause

I’m in a positionwhere I’m governingcertainaspects.Ithinkcontentcreatorsaremostsupportedwhenthereisdemocrati-sationofmeans.

HRDandWomenandChildDevelopment,whichisyourfavourite?Both.

TulsiinKyunkiSaasBhiKabhiBahuThiorSitainRamayan,whichisyourmostcherishedrole?Both. InRamayan, I had theopportu-

nity of working with BR Chopra, YashChopraandRaviChopra.

TheonelessonIndia’sfavouritebahuwillgivetoanother?Make sure that you live happily and

give equal respect to yourpartner;makesurethatyouprosper.

Whatissomethingthatyouareproudofdoingandthatyoufeelwasunfinishedbusinessorwasn’tdonethewayyouwanted?I live a life of no regrets. As

far as achievements, I havebeautiful kidsand for me, they are the hallmark ofmysuccess.

Achievementandregretasamother?Noregrets.Asforachievements,Ihave

two childrenwhohave turnedout to beamazinghumanbeings.

Achievementandregretasanactor?None. I have done television, theatre

and films. So there isn’t a realm, in termsofthemediabusiness,thatI’venotbeenapartof,includingreportingforelectionsforZee. IworkedforJainTVaswell.

Theoneachievementclosesttoyourheartasapolitician.ThePMwasmorethankindtotrustour

capacities in textiles. A countrywhichnevermanufacturedasinglepieceofPPEsuit, wemanaged, fromMarch toMay,to become theworld’s second-largestexportersinPPE.

YoudidnotmentionAmethiinthis.Amethiformeisnotmerepolitics; it’s

a lifeprocess. I lookat itasa journeywiththepeopleIcareabout.Ilookatitasapartofmypersonaljourney.

Anythingyouwouldliketoredooryoufailedinduringyourpoliticalcareer?Ithinkintotalitywearepeoplewhoare

an assimilation of our successes andfailures. I’mheretoday irrespectiveofmyfailuresandmysuccesses.

QUICKQUESTIONS

Scan theQRcode towatche.Adda

Smriti IraniwasinconversationwithAnantGoenka,ExecutiveDirector,TheIndianExpressGroup,andNationalOpinionEditorVanditaMishra

New Delhi

FromWWE star to brain damage expertHESTRUGGLESthroughthedays,andatnights,ChristopherNowinskiisfacedwiththefearofgoingtosleep.Often,he is jarredawake,“act-ingout”hisdreams,chasingshadowsorthink-inghe’schokingtodeath.Oncehestoodonhisbed,jumpedoffandcrashedthroughanight-stand. It all beganwith akick to thehead, 20yearsago.Tailormade forpro-wrestling superstar-

dom,the6’5,270pounds,blonde,blue-eyedHarvardgraduate—whohadledthecollegefootball team to championships as a defen-sive tackle — signedwithWorldWrestlingEntertainment (WWE) in 2001. Two yearslatercameaseriesofconcussionsthathecanonlypartlyremember.Fromwrestlersland-ingonhis face, smashinghisnose andkick-ing him so hard that he blacked out for sixseconds. He continuedwrestling, sufferingseveremigraines.Depressionmadeitworse.“Idevelopedpost-concussionsyndrome,

Inowrealise, fromtwoconsecutiveconcus-sionsoversixweekspluscontinuingtowres-tleforfivemoreweeksafterthesecondcon-cussion,” Nowinski, 43, tells The IndianExpress.“AndIgavemyself long-termsymp-toms.”Whilewaitingayearforhisheadtoclear

so he could return to the ring, Nowinskilooked into head trauma and “realised thateverythingIthoughtIunderstoodaboutcon-cussionswaswrong.”Nowinskicouldnevermake a comeback and realised the lack ofawareness among sportspersons, coaches,andmedicalprofessionalsnotjustcuthisca-reer short, but also threatened thewell-be-ingof athletesof all ages.“And so, I thought Iwould take a shot at

tryingtoeducatemycolleaguesandchangetheculture formorepeople following inmyfootsteps.”Sincethen,hehaschangedthediscourse

aroundconcussionandheadtraumainsport.

■ ■ ■

Nowinski’s passion for academics andfirst-hand experience as awrestler helpedshape his crusade against concussion.In 2007, alongside Dr. Robert Cantu,

Nowinski founded the non-profitConcussion Legacy Foundation (CLF) towork towardsa solution to theconcussioncrisis in sports “througheducation, policy,and research.” The task is two-fold: To ed-ucate coaches, parents and athletes, andhelp facilitate research to pin down thelong-termeffects.“It startedwithbuildingabrainbank in

collaboration with Boston University, andit’snowatnearly1,200brains. Thathasal-lowed us to show people images of brain

damage so they understand that the livesimpacted by Chronic TraumaticEncephalopathy (CTE) or concussions canbe catastrophically affected,” he says. “Wenowhavepartnerbrainbanks in fivecoun-tries and are building a global brain banknetwork, so thatwecanrecruit theworld’stopresearchers tothisbattleandprovethatthis disease exists in other countries.”In 13 years, CLF has partnered with 22

organisations likeUSARugby,USAHockey,and WWE. Educational programmes in-clude sessions with coaches and team-mates to identifyconcussionsamongplay-ers, as well as with broadcasters to bettertalkaboutconcussion-related issues for thegeneral audience. There are also pro-grammesfor familymembers to learnhowto livewith and take care of a patient.“When I was injured almost 20 years

ago, it was a period in whichwewere nottaking concussion seriously. Athleteswhowere not unconscious were expected tocontinueplaying,”Nowinski says. “Weac-cepted thatboxersgotpunch-drunk in the1920s. And then we created an alternateuniverse in whichwe assumed that otherathletes who were repetitively hit didn’tget CTE. And nowwe’ve proven that waswrong.”Professional boxer MickyWard, por-

trayed by Academy Award-winning actorChristianBaleinTheFighter,haspledgedhisbrain to Nowinski’s research. “He’s a greatguy,asportsguy,playedfootballatHarvard,he’s a smart kid, he loves sport and caresabout people,”Ward said in a recent inter-view.RacingstarDaleEarnhardtJr,women’s

football legend Brandi Chastain are amongothers.Butmost supportive of Nowinski’s en-

deavours have been his former colleaguesandemployers.

■ ■ ■

“Wrestling for theWWEwasn’t exactlymydreamgrowingup,mainlybecauseofmymother,” Nowinskiwrites in his 2006 bookHeadGames. “Shedidn’tallowmetowatchwrestling because she thought that justwatching it could cause brain damage. Oh,the irony.”Nowinski got hooked thanks to his col-

lege roommates.“I thought it was the most fascinating

form of entertainment. So physically andmentally challenging for the performers,”says Nowinski. “I have done some theatreandsports,anditdepictssomuchfun.Andsoafter college, I got a consulting job, the jobthat I was supposed to get. And I thought Iwould try to do something fun before I set-tleddownandgota real job.”During his three-year run, Nowinski

shared the ring with the likes of TheUndertaker andwas onWWE’s first tour ofIndia in 2002. The ring name came easy:Chris Harvard, cementing his status as aperennialbadguy,drippingwithIvyLeaguearrogance,infrontofalargely-bluecollarau-dience. “Not a ton of sympathy for Harvardgrads in therealworld,”he laughs.Healsohadgarbagecansandsteelchairs

foldinhalfoverhishead,gainingstreetcredin the eyes of fans and becoming the

youngestHardcoreChampionofthepromo-tion.By 2007, Nowinski had retired and be-

ganhis journey intobraindamageresearchwhenWWEwrestlerChrisBenoitkilledhiswife, seven-year-old son, and himself.Nowinski contacted Benoit’s father to ob-tain permission to study the wrestler’sbrain. CLF co-founder Dr. Cantu assessedthat by the time the 40-year-old Benoitkilled himself, he had the brain of a managed 80 or older with “very severe”Alzheimer’s disease.In June 2019, after former WWE per-

formerAshleyMassarodied10daysbeforeher 40th birthday, her lawyer announcedthat shewanted her brain donated to CTEresearch. Massaro had earlier blamedwrestling injuries for her depression.Last September, 46-year-old former

professionalwrestlerDaffneyUngerspokeaboutherconcernsaboutCTEandrepeatedconcussions in the ring in an alarmingInstagram video. “The most importantthing to remember is that CTE, and headinjuriesandconcussions, canonlyreallybediagnosed after you are dead,” Unger saidin the video. “So, I don’t want to do any-thing to hurt my brain. I want to be stud-ied,” shecontinued. “Iwant the futuregen-erations to know. Don’t do stupid s**t likeme.”Shewas founddeadthedayafter.USAToday reported bothMassaro andUnger’sdeathswere suicides.“Daffney’s end was very tragic,” says

Nowinski. “She had a very serious concus-sionthatendedhercareerandthere’sawell-knowncorrelationbetweenjusthavingasin-

gle concussion and two-or-three-timesgreater riskof suicide inyour life. Especiallyforthosewithchronicsymptoms,whichshedid. And thenwithCTE,weare actively try-ing tounderstandhow itmayaffect suiciderisk. That research isongoing.”

Rising awarenessIn a bid to help research and spread

awareness, several famous formerwrestlers have pledged to donate theirbrains.BookerT,KevinNash,RobVanDam,Lance Storm, Mick Foley and Jeff Hardy,who announced his decision on Ring RustRadio: “I’ve rung my bells so many times,especiallyback in thedaywhenchair shotsto theheadwere legal.Mygoodness, I tooksomany of those.”“A lot ofmyheroes and contemporaries

have signed up to pledge their brains andthey’ve been part of awareness efforts. It’sreallyheart-warmingtoseethesupportfromthewrestlingcommunity.”WWE, too, implemented a concussion

protocol in2008andhasrampeditupinre-cent years. According to the guidelines, if aperformershowssymptomsorhassuffereda concussion, theywill not be cleared for areturntilltheypass“anImPACTtest”andareclearedclinicallybyacertifiedphysician.Thepromotion also funds CTE research atNowinski’s institute.“I’m very lucky to be invited byWWE,

every year since 2012, for talking to thewrestlers about concussions and CTE sothat they can make more informedchoices,” says Nowinski, who also servesasanadvisor tootherwrestlingpromotionssuch as NWA, Ring of Honor and All EliteWrestling. “All of them now have a com-pletely up-to-date awareness of risks ofconcussions,CTE, andhavemedicalproto-cols inplace tominimise threats.Wrestlinghas come a longway.”The hit that cut his career short left

Nowinskiwith life-longconsequences.“Mysleephasneverreturnedtonormal.

It’s called Rapid EyeMovement (REM) be-haviour disorder. When you’re dreaming,yourbody’ssupposedtobeparalysedsothatyou don’t act out your dreams. I do,” saysNowinski.“Istilltakemedicationtohelppre-ventheadaches. Italsohelpswithcognition.I’veneverbeenabletogetoffmedicationbe-cause theheadachescomeback.”But he realises that the injuries also

pushedhimonapath.“It’sbeenavery long,verydifficult jour-

ney,” Nowinski says. “I am still functionalandglad that Ihad theexperiences, the in-juries to really appreciate what was hap-pening.”

ChristopherNowinskiwas billed as'ChrisHarvard' inWWE, andhisfinishingmovewas a suplex calledthe 'HonorRoll'. (Above) ChristopherNowinskiwithwrestler andWWEexecutive Paul Levesque aka TripleH.WWE/CLF

PRESSTRUSTOF INDIACHENNAI, JANUARY 17

THE ONGOING Tata Steel Chess tourna-ment has been embroiled in an unneces-sary controversy after the event's broad-casterhas invitedNorway'smost infamousbank robber, David Toska as a guest for ashow.Knownas themastermindbehind the

biggestheist in thecountry'shistory,Toskahas been invited to join as a guest duringTV2's Tata Steel Chess broadcast.The controversial move, however, has

provoked strong reactions from the chessfraternity with one sponsor pulling out ofthe show hours after the announcement,according to chess24.comwebsite.The Tata Steel Chess tournament is be-

ingplayedinWijkAanZee, theNetherlandsfromJanuary14to30wheretopplayers in-cluding Norwegian world no 1 MagnusCarlsenwill be vying for top honours.Norwegian TV has a tradition of invit-

ing celebrities as guests during chessbroadcasts, but Toska's choice turned outtobethemostcontroversial so far, theweb-site said.Toska was touted to be "the master-

mind" behind the Nokas bank robbery inStavanger in2004, thebiggest inNorway'shistory,where a policemanwas killed.Hewasarrested inSpainayear lateraf-

terbeingon the run, thewebsite said in itsreport.Toska,whoserved13yearsof a20-year

sentence, was fully released in 2018, andnowhasadaughteranda full-time jobasaprogrammer.According to thewebsite, heisabigchess fanandwasknowntobeatal-ented player in his teenage.He had finished fourth in the

Norwegian Under-14 championship, be-fore taking to crime.He got back into chess by following

Carlsen's success while in prison, andshortly after his releasehewas seen at thevenue of the 2019 Fischer RandomWorldChampionship in Hovik outside Oslo. Hehas an online rating of around 2000 now,thewebsite said.Toska is slated to appear in TV 2's stu-

dio for their Tata Steel Chess broadcast,alongside host Fin Gnatt and commenta-tors Heidi R neid and GM Jon LudvigHammer, onMonday and Tuesday.While the commercial broadcaster

quotedtheChief SportsEditorVegar JansenHagen as saying that the decision to signup the notorious robber for the showwastaken after obtaining feedback from sev-eral people.

Tata Steel Chessbroadcasterinvites Norwayrobber as guest

SPORT/CALENDAR17 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

CROSSWORD4640

ACROSS1Doctorgoes tohospital togetdryfabric (6)4Crypticclueshe’dput in theagenda(8)9Officerwithasong inhisheart -somethingcatchy(6)10RecordthesoundofBeethoven’s fifth (8)

12Scoredapoint -couldbewinning (4)

13Worktomakesomedough(5)14Determinedtoshowone’snatural skill (4)

17Happytoarrangetherightdeal(5-7)

20Captainsconfusedbymishapandstress (5,7)

23Shewillreturntotakeacourse(4)24Tourarrangedaboutmid-March inCornishcity (5)

25Transportwillbebackateleven(4)

28Howamasseurmightgetby(3,5)

29Somenutsandraisinsforagirl(6)30Givessomesupport for regulargirlfriends (8)

31Play-butcheat (6)

DOWN1Spotacomplicatedclue-but it’sof littlematter (8)2Getheirasettlementheexpects(8)3Rainspreadaroundthecountry(4)5Oddthingtosay(6,6)6Tieupabout tenanddepart (4)7Awrongguessaboutcustoms(6)8TheyhappentoupsetSteven(6)11Minecanpeteroutwithsuchlackof restraint (12)15Feeling irritable?(5)

16It’smostdesirable toencloseawildanimal (5)

18Heldback free tradewheninthered(8)

19Reckonthedeceased’spropertyisaboutonethousand(8)

21Theircoatsare lined(6)22Fifty-onecompetentandresponsible (6)

26Left towander idly round,buthappy(4)

27Laidout inSalvador (4)

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)Over thenext fewweeks,while theSunremainssostrong,youwillbe

extendinganddeepeningyoursocial contacts. Someof youmayevenbedevelopingpoliticalassociations, in thebroadest senseof course. It's allamatterof linkingupwith like-minded individuals.

TAURUS(Apr21-May21)Everyone,nomatterwhat theirbirthsign,shouldbeawareof achangeofmood

today.At least, that's thetheory.Youmayfeel itmoredeeplythanmost, andmightevendecidethatyour feelings foraparticularpersonweremisplaced.But, then, it'sbetterthatyoufindoutnow.

GEMINI (May22- June21)It really isa timetoasknotwhatotherscandoforyou,butwhatyoucandofor

them.There isahappyrelationship inyourchartbetweenworkandpartnership,onewhichcouldseeyoumakingconsiderableprogresstowardsaspecialgoal.Abouttimetoo.

CANCER(June22- July23)Youmaybegrowingincreasinglyagitated in at leastonepersonal

relationship, if not several. It isworth remindingyou that thisis apeak time forpointlessarguments and that you shouldalways think carefully.Don'tlet othersmake the running, atleast, not all the time.

LEO(July24-Aug23)Youmaysortouthomeandfamilymatters thismorningandsavetimelater in theday

forsimplepleasures.Theonlyresponsibilitieswhich looklikely topresentyouwithextrademandsare thosewhichinvolvechildrenoryoungerrelations ingeneral.

VIRGO(Aug24-Sep23)Althoughgoodfortune is forecast,it'suptoyoutohelpyourself. If youdigyour feet in, resisting

everyopportunity toexploreyour talentsandskills, youwillmissout,whatever thestarssay.Lookat thebigpictureandthinkaboutwhereyou'd like tobethis timenextyear.

LIBRA(Sep24-Oct23)It'sanexcellentdaytoclear theair,not inanyparticularlydeeporprofound

sense,but in termsof routineorganisationandthesimplerunningof yourdailyaffairs. Ifentertaining is tobedone, thebestvenueshouldbeyourhome,all thingsbeingequal.

SCORPIO(Oct24-Nov22)There is still agreatdeal tobesaid forfacingrealityathome. In fact, for the

next twoweeksat leastevenminorandapparently trivialeventswill contribute toamajor long-termimprovementinyourcircumstances.There iseverypossibility thatyouwillbereceivingpositivenewssoon,thoughfromanunlikelysource.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov23-Dec22)TheMoongentlyadjusts itspositiontoday,hopefullyclearingupa long-

standingmystery.Perhapsevena lost itemwill returnto itsrightfulplace,as these thingshaveahabitof doing.Onewayoranother,youshould findthebigwideworldamarginallyeasierplace tohandle.

CAPRICORN(Dec23- Jan20)If you're inaparticularlybusyphase,asyourstarsindicateyoushould

be,youwillnowrealise thatthere isnopoint inpressingonbyyourself, but thatotherpeoplemustbebrought in tohelp. It'snever too late toask forassistance, sodon'tbeproud.

AQUARIUS(Jan21-Feb19)There'saclearpsychologicalprocess inyour lifeatthemoment.You

maymomentarily loseyourself-confidence,or faceseeminglygiganticmaterialobstacles,but thesedifficultiesmotivateyoutostriveevenharderandachieveevengreatersuccess.

PISCES(Feb20-Mar20)Havingdealtwithquestions like,whois responsible forwhat, andwhatyour

rights are in relation tocolleaguesandemployers, youmay throwyourself intoanewprofessionalorworldlyambition.Youmay followyourdreams,whileyouhave time.

SUDOKU4718

DifficultyLevel4sInstructionsTosolveaSudokupuzzle,everydigitfrom1to9mustappear ineachofthenineverticalcolumns, ineachoftheninehorizontalrowsandineachofthenineboxes.

DifficultyLevel1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;3s=Medium;4s=Hard;5s=VeryHard;6s=Genius S

OLU

TIONSUDOKU4717

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemtotherespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtogettheanswerforthegivenquip.Youthisn'talwaysall it's______-LawanaBlackwell(6,2,2)

SOLUTION:EVOKE,TOOTH,JUNKET,FORBIDAnswer:Youthisn'talwaysallit'stoutedtobe-LawanaBlackwell

KVEEO EJKNTU

HOOTT IFORBD

SolutionsCrossword4639:Across:1Press,4Optical illusions,8Emu,10Emerges,11Aught,13Teasel,15Serbia,18Sited,19Biretta,21Eiderdown,23Ego,24Linseed,25Handy.Down: 1Prefect,2Exuberant,3Sling,4Owlish,5Testate,6Coo,7Liszt,12Go-between,14Endorse,16Analogy,17Abroad,18Shell,20Ranch,22Den.

JUMBLEDWORDS

CALVIN&HOBBES byBillWatterson

MARVIN byTomArmstrong

DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDALOVERTHEHEDGE byMichael Fry&TLewis

HarvardgraduateChristopherNowinskiwasforcedtoretire fromprofessionalwrestlingafterakicktotheheadandmultipleconcussions.GauravBhatt talkstothemanwhohassincedevotedhis life tostudyingbrain injuries insport

New Delhi

VolXC-59Regd.No.DL-21046/03-05R.N.I.No.506/57. PrintedandPublishedbyR.C.Malhotraonbehalf of The IndianExpress (P) LimitedandPrintedatThe IndianExpress (P) LimitedPress,A-8, Sector-7,Noida -201301andDBCorpLtd,DainikBhaskarVillageUnanTola,NearDanapurCantt, ShivylyaRoad,Post

Khagaul, Shahpur, Patna (Bihar) andPublishedatThe IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg,NewDelhi110002.Editorial office:The IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg,NewDelhi-110002.Phone:0120-6651500.Advertisingoffice:The IndianExpress (P) Limited,B1/B, Sector-10,Noida-201301.Phone:01206651291.Chairmanof theBoard:ViveckGoenka,Chief Editor:RajKamal Jha, Editor:UnniRajenShanker, Editor (Delhi):RakeshSinha**

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EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEBENGALURU, JANUARY17

A former Indian Premier League and RanjiTrophy player has alleged that he was of-fered Rs 40 lakh for match-fixing, and acomplaint has been filed with BengaluruPolice in this regard.RajagopalSathishhailsfrom

Tamil Nadu, and apart from hishomestate,hasalsoappearedforAssam in the premier first-classcompetition in the country. HehasbeenontherosterofKingsXIPunjab, Mumbai Indians andKolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.He also played in the unsanc-tionedIndianCricketLeague,andreturned to the official fold aftergeneralamnesty.The41-year-oldnow plays for Chepauk SuperGillies in the Tamil Nadu Premier League(TNPL)andit isbelievedSathishwasofferedthemoney to compromisematches in thistournament.Before approaching police, Sathish had

also raised the matter with the Board ofControl for Cricket in India (BCCI). TheInternational Cricket Council (ICC) has alsobeen informed.Apoliceofficialsaidtheformalcomplaint

withthemwasfiledafterdirectionsfromtheBCCI. “A special teamhas been formed andwesuspectthattheaccused,whoclaimedtobecalledBunnyAnand, is inBengaluru,”theofficial said.AstheBCCIAnti-CorruptionandSecurity

Unity (ACSU) doesn’t have investigative,searchandseizurepowers, itreliesonpoliceinanycaserelatedtomatch-fixing,spot-fix-

ing or any other formof corrup-tion incricket.The police complaint has

been filed by B Lokesh, who iswith the ACSU, at Jayanagar po-licestationinBengaluru,theoffi-cial said. According to it, “onJanuary3,apersonnamedBunnyAnand contacted Sathish onInstagram and messaged himluring topayRs40 lakh and toldthat two players have alreadyagreed to the offer. Sathish said

that he said ‘sorry’ to the offer.” ACSU chiefShabbir Khandwawala confirmed that thematter isnowwith thepolice.“The player approached us and ICC, and

informedus that someonehadapproachedhimonInstagram.WetookdetailsofthecaseandtoldourACUofficer tofileapolicecom-plaint in thematter.Weare just a facilitatorand now police will look into the case,”Khandwawalasaid.

Ex-IPL & Ranji player allegesbribery offer to fix matches

Bumrah readyto becomeTest captain

SANDIPGJANUARY17

FromthefoothillsofTableMountain,onasun-litJanuaryafternoon,SouthAfricancricketbe-gananotherlongjourney.Ajourneyofrevival.Writtenoffbeforetheseries,ridiculedafter

thehammeringinthefirstTest,stuckinanend-lesswheeloftransition,afflictedbyadministra-tional chaos andcoups, SouthAfrican cricketseemedslippingdowntheslopeofperdition,instillingfearthattheywouldneverbetheun-bendableforcetheyoncewere.Thereweredis-tantechoesofthedeclineofWestIndiesandSriLanka. Therewas fear anddoubt that cricketwouldloseoneofitshistoricallystrongteams,atatimewhenthechasmofstandardbetweenteamsisgettingwiderthaneverbefore.In times tocome, theafternoontheybeat

IndiatowintheTestseriescouldevokediffer-ent feelings. A false dawnperhaps. The lastflickeroftheflamebeforeitdiesout,oranillu-sionofrevival.Fornow,itoffershopeandlight.It,now,hasthepotentialtobeanera-definingseriesforthem,asitwasforIndiainthefamous2001winagainst the thenWorldNo. 1 teamAustralia, when they bounced back from athrashingintheopeningTesttowintheseries,heraldingafreshbrandofIndiancricket.Orlikehow theAsheswin in 2005 alteredEnglandcricket.There were abundant questionmarks

whenSouthAfricastartedtheseries.Butas itwoundup,theyhavefoundanswerstomany.They craveda leader, and foundone inDeanElgar.Understatedandunassuming, ice-coolincrisesandcontrolledinshowingemotions,he has a streak of cussedness like one of hispredecessorsGraemeSmith,whohimselfas-sumedreinsof a teaminturmoil, andturnedintomarble.“Iseecaptaincyasaprivilege,notaburdenorcurse...Inevereverrunawayfrompressure,”Elgarhadtoldthisnewspaperpriortotheseriesandhaswalkedthattalkeversince.Elgar, inasense,embodiesthesoulof this

team.He issomeonewhohassucceededde-spite his technique, not becauseof it; hehasknown his limitations andworkedwithinthem.SohasbeenthisSouthAfricateam—it’snotwithout flaws, butworkedawayaroundthem.Notforonceinthisseries,orsincetakingoverateamdepletedbyretirements,andwithpersistent noise of administrative anarchybrewingbehindit,hasElgarcribbedorcarped.His unbeaten96 in the successful fourth-in-ningschaseinthesecondTestatWanderers-likeGraemeSmith’s277atEdgbastonin2003- could be the flashpoint of a turnaround.Elgar’smatch-winning knock gave his col-leaguesandcountrythebeliefthattheycouldwintheseries,thattheycouldfightbackfromanydiresituation.

FightingbackTherewereseveraltimesintheCapeTown

decider that thehostswere on theback footand chasing the game, or as Elgar remarked“thrownunder the sword”, but they seldomsurrendered, rather fought back.Noneas in-structive as how theybroke theCheteshwarPujara-ViratKohlistandinthesecondsessionof thefirstday.It was youngMarco Jansenwho termi-

natedPujara,wholookedintotalcontrol.Thebeanpoleleft-armseamerhasbeenoneofthediscoveriesof thisseries,andwouldnodoubt

makethisProteaspacepackdeadlier.Fora21-year-oldwith limited first-class exposure, hehasmost tools in his repertoire. Awkwardbouncethatcomeswithhisheight,theskilltomovetheballbothways(uprightseamfortheaway-goer and scrambledone for thebend-backer) aswell asmake theball hold its line,adeptnessat interchanging lengths, andslip-periness.His steepbouncer remindedoneofNewZealand’s NeilWagner, a player SouthAfricahaslost.Jansen’stemperamentimpressedasmuch

ashiscraft—aftertheearlynerves,hesettledinsmoothlyandwasbarelyoverawed,quicklyjudgedthelengthsheneededtopursueondif-ferentwicketsandmakequickamendsincaseheerred. Remarkably, nine times in18 spellsdidhetakeawicketinhisfirstover.Combine the left-armquickwithKagiso

Rabada andAnrichNortje, and SouthAfricahaveapotentiallyworld-beatingbowlingnu-cleus. Throwtheever-improvingLungiNgidiinto themix, andSouthAfrica could tormentthefinestofbatsmenacrossconditions.Allofthemhadtheirseries-shapingmoments,andwouldripeninthedaystocome.Rabadaisstill26,Ngidiayearyoungerand

Nortje 28. The best yearsmight be aheadofthem.DuanneOlivierwasn’thispastself,op-eratingatalesserpacethanbefore,butSouthAfrica don’t have to fret toomucheven if hedoesn’timproveastheyareboundtogettheirfastestmanNortjebacksoon.Butpacebowlinghasseldombeenaworry;

it’sbattingthathasbeentheirtenderspot.Butaherohasrisen—KeeganPetersen,whoat28is not as young as Jansen, but could be theirmiddle-order cornerstone for thenext four-fiveyearsatleast.Hisemergencehascomeatatimewhentheyseemeddrainedofalterna-tives toreplaceretiredstalwartsABdeVillersandFaf duPlessis. It’spresumptuous tocom-parehimwiththeduo,butheseemsthemostcompact batsmanhis countryhasproducedinthelastfiveyears.Technicalsoundness,tem-peramentalnousandstroke-makingaptitude,heseemsacompletepackage.TogetherwithTembaBavuma,whofinally

seems to realisehis potential, andRassie vanderDussen,whohastypicalpugnacityofSouth

African batsmen like Ashwell Prince and JPDuminy, they couldplugholes in themiddleorder.QuintondeKock’sheir,KyleVerreynne,barelymadea substantial scorewith thebatthisseries,but ishighlyratedandcommandsadomesticfirst-classaverageof50.

Pieces falling inplaceAll of a sudden, SouthAfrica seems a far

morecompetitiveteamthanitwasthoughttobe.Or it’s just thatElgarandthesupport staffhavegalvanisedabunchof largelyunprovenyoungsters into awinning lot. “Got a young,talentedgroup.Everydayinthisenvironment,we're gaining this experience. Unreal to seehowagroupthatdoesn’thavetherepertoireornames cangel together as one,” Elgar said atthepress conference, beforeheaddedwithafaintgrimace:“There’smoreworktobedone.”There,indeed,ismoreworktobedone.The

seriestriumphismorelikeafoundationratherthanabeautifulbuilding,astartratherthanadestination.Theyneedtheirbatsmentostartscoringhundreds—onlyBavumaamongtheirmiddleorderhasone—andtheyneedthetal-entedAidenMarkramtorediscoverhistouch.Buttheprogresstheyhavemadeintheseries,thepromisetheyhaddemonstratedinthelastfortnight portends happier days for SouthAfricancricket.Asmuch as individual quality, theyhave

foundresolveandresoluteness,beliefandto-getherness,thevirtuesthatwouldkeepthemontheirpathtowardsglory.Andiftheyindeedrealise their promise and build on theirprogress, retracethestepstogreatnessagain,theywould reflect backon this sun-lit after-noononthefoothillofTableMountain.

SHAMIKCHAKRABARTYKOLKATA,JANUARY17

PACE SPEARHEAD Jasprit Bumrah has saidthat if the opportunity comes, he is ready totake up the India captaincy. “If given an op-portunity,itwouldbeanhonour.Idon’tthinkany playerwould say no. There’s no biggerfeelingthanthat,”Bumrahsaidatapresscon-ferenceonMonday.Thefastbowlerhasbeenpromotedtothe

vice-captaincy of the Indian team for thethree-matchODI series in SouthAfrica thatstartsonWednesday.KLRahulisthestand-incaptain for the series, as the regular captainRohit Sharma hasn’t yet recovered from ahamstringinjury.AfterViratKohligaveuphisTest captaincy at the endof the SouthAfricaseries,speculationsarerifeoverwhohissuc-cessorwillbe.WhileRahulandRohitaresaidto be the frontrunners, former India captainandoneofthegame’sinfluentialvoices,SunilGavaskar,hadsuggestedthenameofwicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. Now, Bumrah’s name,too,canbeaddedtothelist.Rarelyhasafastbowlerbeenpickedtolead

thesideinIndiancricket.KapilDevwasaglo-rious exception. As for Bumrah, he is one ofonlythreeplayerswithanA+centralcontract–theothertwobeingKohliandRohit–andisindispensable inanyformat.Globally also, theperception is changing.

PatCumminsbecamethe first fastbowler in65years–sinceRayLindwallin1956–toleadAustralia inTests,presidingovera4-0hidingofEnglandintheAshesDownUnder.“Readytodoitifgivenanopportunity,but

that’s something Idon’t chase. Inany leader-shipgroup,Ialwayslookatthesituationinthesamemanner,not to takeanyextrapressurethatnowIhavetobeovercautious.Takingre-sponsibility, talking to a lot of players, tryingtohelpthemoutinthebestpossiblemannerhas always beenmyapproach and itwill bemyapproachgoingfurther,”Bumrahsaid.The selectors hadpromotedRohit to the

Testvice-captaincyaheadof theSouthAfricatour, in place of Ajinkya Rahane. But theopener,being injury-proneof late,wasruledoutoftheentiretour.Whenabackspasmpre-ventedKohli fromplaying thesecondTest inJohannesburg, Rahul led the team andBumrahwas the vice-captain. A BCCI func-tionary told The Indian Express that for themoment,theselectorsaresettoappointRohitas captain across formats but beyond that,thereremainsaquestionmark.Rohit’s dodgy fitness record could be an

impediment tomaking him long-termcap-tain.Also,hewillbeturning35inApril,andisayear-and-a-half older thanKohli.Bumrah’spromotionasODI vice-captain for theSouthAfrica series is a clear indication that the se-lection committee sees leadership potentialinhim.Bumrah,however,didn’tplayupthetran-

sitionfactorfollowingKohli’sexit.“Weunder-standthechangeandeverybodyisrespectful(about) how the process is going. Change istheonlyconstant.Allofushaveplayedenoughcrickettoun-

derstand that this is theway the gamegoesand this is howyou have tomove forward.Everyone in the team is quite positive andquiteeagertocontribute,”hesaid.

No vaccine, noFrench Openfor Djokovic,says ministry

REUTERSPARIS, JANUARY 17

DJOKOVIC COULDbe barred fromplayingin theFrenchOpenas things standnowaf-ter the Sports Ministry said on MondaytherewouldbenoexemptionfromFrance'snew vaccine pass law.World number oneDjokovic, who has not been vaccinatedagainst COVID-19, was deported fromAustralia on Sundaybefore the first GrandSlamtournamentof the year after losing acourt case to have the cancellation of hisvisa overturned.France's vaccine pass law, approved by

parliament onSunday,will requirepeopletohaveacertificateof vaccination toenterpublicplacessuchasrestaurants, cafes, cin-emas and long-distance trains."The rule is simple. The vaccine pass

willbe imposed,assoonasthe lawisprom-ulgated, in establishments that were al-ready subject to thehealthpass," themin-istry said."This will apply to everyone who is a

spectator or a professional sportsperson.And this until further notice."Now, as far as Roland Garros is con-

cerned, it's in May. The situation maychange between now and then and wehope that it will be more favourable. Sowe'll see,butclearly there'snoexemption."SerbianDjokovic,whowasbarred from

bidding towinarecord21stGrandSlamti-tle at the Australian Open, has refused tovaccinate andwas criticised for attendingpublic events lastmonthafter testingpos-itive for the coronavirus

A rousing welcome in SerbiaNovak Djokovic returned to a hero's

welcome in Serbia on Monday afterAustraliadeported theworldmen's tennisNo. 1 for being unvaccinated againstCOVID-19, a stance jeopardising his questfor a record 21st Grand Slam title.MostAustralianshadwantedhimgone,

but Serbian supporters waved nationalflags and lauded him on arrival atBelgrade airport."You are our champion, Novak!" and

"We love you, Nole!" they chanted, usinghisdiminutivename.he34-year-old "Kingof Melbourne" had won nine previousAustralia Opens, is level with Rafa NadalandRogerFedereron20titles, andwas topmen'sseed for thetournament thatgotun-derway onMonday.But instead of beginning his title de-

fence as scheduled at Melbourne Park, heflewtoBelgradeviaDubaiafterbeingtwicedetained in a hotel with asylum-seekersand then unceremoniously booted out byAustralian immigration."Whoever wins it now, doesn't really

count," saidAlekDrakoo, amemberof theAustralian Serbian community, disap-pointed tomiss seeing him inMelbourne.The Australian government's decision

was in tunewithmajority public opinion,butauthoritieshavebeencriticised fornotresolving the issue before he arrived.

Serieswinover Indiacouldbethemakingofnew-lookProteas,whowouldbetoughtobeat inODIs too

Passion, Skill, Attitude - SA rise again

White-ball skipper TembaBavuma impressedonandoff the field at the T20WorldCup in theUAEand theywereunluckynot tomake the semifinals. Reuters

THEINDIANEXPRESS,TUESDAY, JANUARY18,2022

SPORTWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

18

50-OVERCALENDAR

■1stODI-Jan19atPaarl■2ndODI-Jan21atPaarl■3rdODI-Jan23atCapeTown

SouthAfricaSquad:TembaBavuma(C),ZubayrHamza, JannemanMalan,AidenMarkram,DavidMiller,RassievanderDussen,MarcoJansen,WayneParnell,AndilePhehlukwayo,DwainePretorius,QuintondeKock,KyleVerreynne,KeshavMaharaj, SisandaMagala,LungiNgidi,KagisoRabada,TabraizShamsi.

TVguide:Allmatchesstart from2:00pmonwardsonStarSportsandHotstar.

She (PengShuai)was in pretty goodconditionthat day.Wewere all chattinghappily andaskinga lot of questions about the sport sinceweweren't familiarwith it."

YAOMINGNBALEGENDONHISDECEMBERMEETINGWITHCHINESETENNISPLAYERPENGSHUAI

Notice is hereby given under the Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of (Security) Interest Act. 2002 (54 of2002), and in exercise of the power conferred under sub-section (12) of section 13 read with [rule 3] of the Security Interest (Enforcement) Rule2002. The Authorized Officer issued a Demand Notice on the dates noted against account as mentioned herein after, calling them to repay theamount within 60 days from the date of receipt of the said Notice. The borrower/guarantor having failed to repay the amount, notice is hereby givento the under noted borrower/guarantor and the public in general that the undersigned has taken possession of the property described herein belowin exercise of powers conferred on him under Sec. 13(4) of Section 13 of Act read with Rule 8 of the said Rules on the date mentioned againstaccount. The borrower/guarantor in particular and the public in general is hereby cautioned not to deal with the property and any dealing with theproperty will be subject to the charge of Central Bank of India for the amount and interest thereon mentioned against account herein below.The borrower's attention is invited to provisions of sub-section (8) of section (13) of the Act, in respect of time available to redeem thesecured assets.Nameof theBranch

Name of theAccounts/Borrowers/Guaranter

Name of the owner & Description ofthe property mortgaged

Date ofDemandNotice

Date ofPossessionNoticeAffixed

Amountoutstandingas on dateof DemandNotice

Amountoutstandingas on date ofPossessionNotice

GulzarBaghBranch

Borrowers:Mr. VijayKumar S/oLate BajrangiLal andCo-borrower/Guarantor:Mrs. SheelaChandra W/oMr. Vijay Kumar

Description of the Immovable Property (Land &Building): Name of the Mortgagor: Mr. Vijay Kumar,S/o Late Bajrangi Lal and Co-borrower/Guarantor Mrs.Sheela Chandra, W/o Mr. Vijay Kumar. Address of theMortgagors: Nal Band Toli Chandravanshi Gali, NearAlamganj Chowki, Gulzarbagh, Patna-800007. Fullparticulars of Property: Sale Deed No.-9402, Dtd.-16/12/2014, Area-15 dhur 18 dhurki, PO-Gulzarbagh,PS-Alamganj, District-Patna, Mouza/Moh-Nalband ToliMunicipal Plot No.-2153 and 2155, Ward No.18/24 HoldingNo.97(N)/107(Old), Sheet No.154, Circle No.76. Locationof the property: Mauza-Balband Toli, Mohallah-NalbadToli, Thana-Alamganj, Registry & Sub-registry-Patna City,Dist.-Patna. Boundary: North-Corporation Lane, South-Part of Plot No.2153 and 2155, East-Part of Plot No.2153and 2155, West-Umakant Choudhary.

04.05.2021 13.01.2022 `9,99,322.26/-(Rupees Ninelac ninety

nine thousandthree hundredtwenty twoand paisethwenty sixonly) with

future Interestand incidentalcharges w.e.f04.05.2021

`9,99,322.26/-(Rupees Ninelac ninety

nine thousandthree hundredtwenty twoand paisethwenty sixonly) andinterestthereon.

ChoudharyTolaBranch

Borrower/Co-borrower/Guarantor: Mr.Baban Kumarand KanchanKumari

Description of the Immovable Property (Land &Building): Name of the Mortgagor: Mr. Baban Kumar.Full particulars of Property: Sale Deed No.-RegisteredMortgage Deed No.10041, dtd. 16/10/2014, Area-550Sq.ft., Thana No.-2, Khata No.-54, Kheshra Survey PlotNo.-82, Old Holding No.13, New Holding No.-37, Mauza-Chakmussalhapur, Thana-Kadamkuan, Registry & Sub-Registry-Patna, Location of the property: at Mauza-Chakmusalahpur, Boundary: North-Part Plot No.82 ofSmt. Leela Devi, South-Part Plot No.82 of Smt. SangitaDevi and Smt. Priya Devi, East-Sri Hari Prasad, BasuMalik and Tarani Prasad, West-10' Feet Wide Road.

13.05.2019 15.01.2022 `4,72,954/-(Rupees Fourlac seventytwo thousandnine hundredfifty four only)with futureInterest andincidental

charges w.e.f29.04.2019

`4,72,954/-(Rupees Fourlac seventytwo thousandnine hundredfifty four only)and interestthereon.

Regional Office, Mauryalok Complex, Patna-1POSSESSION NOTICE [UNDER RULE 8 (1) OF SECURITY INTEREST (ENFORCEMENT) RULES, 2002]

Authorised officerCENTRALBANKOF INDIA

Date : 17.01.2022Place : Patna

REUTERSMELBOURNE, JANUARY 17

AMERICANMADISONKeysreliedonherbigserve on key points to outclass 2020Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 7-6(2)7-5onJohnCainArenaonMondayandreach the second round of the year's firstGrandSlam.FormerU.S. Open runner-upKeys,who

won her first trophy since 2019 at theAdelaide International 2 warm-up eventlastweek, struggledtogaintheupperhandin the contest before sealing the openingset in a tiebreakwithher eighth ace."My serve was helping out a lot today,

being able to close that out, to start on thefront foot and to not have toworkmywayback into the match was really helpful,"Keys, who finished with 15 aces, told re-porters."I feel I've really foundmy rhythmwith

that, it really helpedme close out the firstand second set in big moments. I'm goingto make sure it's ready for the secondround." In a see-sawing second set, Keninconceded adecisive break to allowher fel-low American to go ahead 6-5, and al-though the 23-year-old saved twomatch-points, she was unable to prevent Keysclosing out the victory on serve.KeninhaswonheronlyGrandSlamtitle

atMelbourneParkandhasotherwisestrug-gled to raise her game at majors, losing toKeys in straight sets in their last encounterat theU.S. Open three years ago."At thispoint every first round is tough,

butwhenyouhavetogoupagainstaGrandSlam champion it's never easy," said Keys,who reached the 2015 semi-finals atMelbournePark.

Aus Open: Keys edgesout 2020 winner Kenin

Beforeapproachingpolice, Sathishhadalso raised thematterwith theBoardof Control forCricket in India (BCCI). TheInternational CricketCouncil (ICC)hasalsobeen informed.Apoliceofficial said the formal complaintwith themwas filedafterdirections fromtheBCCI.

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